A photograph posted by the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office showing leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit has triggered sharp reactions in India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cropped out of the image.
The photograph, shared by the Pakistan PMO on Tuesday, showed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with several world leaders attending the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. However, the edited image left out Modi, along with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and some other leaders who were present in the original group photograph.
The Pakistan PMO captioned the post as a group photograph of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with heads of state attending the summit on September 1.
Interestingly, Sharif himself later shared the original photograph, which included Modi and the other leaders. In his post, the Pakistani prime minister spoke about addressing the SCO meeting and congratulated Kyrgyzstan for hosting the summit. He also referred to Pakistan’s role as the incoming SCO chair for 2027 and highlighted the country’s claims of sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
The edited image quickly became a political talking point in India.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde criticised the move, calling it extremely unfortunate. He said Pakistan had attempted similar tactics in the past and referred to Modi’s popularity in India.
Shinde also invoked Operation Sindoor while warning Pakistan against engaging in what he described as such political games. He said cropping Modi from a photograph could not diminish his standing among Indians.
Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar also criticised the photograph. He described the move as an example of Pakistan embarrassing itself at international forums. Akbar pointed out that Modi had been removed while Sharif appeared prominently in the edited image.
He further argued that the decision reflected what he called a deep sense of insecurity within Pakistan’s political establishment.
The controversy comes amid continuing tensions between India and Pakistan. At the SCO summit, Modi spoke about the ongoing conflict in West Asia and called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
He also urged countries to avoid double standards while jointly tackling terrorism.
The summit brought Modi together with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif. India has frequently raised concerns over terrorism and Pakistan-based militant groups at international forums, while China has often opposed or blocked Indian efforts to push for sanctions against Pakistani terrorists at the United Nations Security Council.
The edited photograph has therefore added another political flashpoint to an already tense India-Pakistan relationship, even as both countries remain part of the same multilateral SCO platform.
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