Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was set to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sideline at an international forum in Turkmenistan marking the 30th anniversary of the nation’s permanent neutrality on Friday, 12 December.
A video doing the rounds on social media claimed that Sharif inadvertently walked into a private meeting between Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after his own planned bilateral meet with the Russian leader was postponed.
Having waited about 40 minutes in a nearby room with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, a visibly eager Sharif eventually made his way into the hall where Putin and Erdoğan were in discussion, hoping to at least exchange a few words. He reportedly left the room around 10 minutes later, the publication had earlier claimed.
“Moment PM Sharif gate-crashed Putin’s meeting with Erdogan after waiting for 40 mins,” the caption read. RT India later deleted the post.
“We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan,” the publication later said in a post on X.
“The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events,” it added.
Another video from RT India shows Sharif seated next to an empty chair marked with a Russian flag. Clearly frustrated, the Pakistani Prime Minister and his delegation sat tensely, their impatience evident as they waited for Putin to arrive.
Sharif’s misstep was quick and short-lived, a calculated gatecrash, a last-minute attempt to assert his presence after being sidelined. In roughly ten minutes, the Pakistani Prime Minister slipped out just as suddenly as he had walked in.
Netizens react
One of the social media users said, “After 40 mins of wait, even Zomato delivery guy gives up. Sharif still didn’t.” Another remarked, “Ignored him like a traffic signal ka bhikhari (beggar).” "Beggars cannot be choosers," commented the third. Another X user stated, “From ‘please meet me’ to ‘please leave’ Shehbaz experienced it all in 10 minutes.”
“Gate-crashing at global level… Pakistan’s foreign policy just got a new definition", “How does anyone take him seriously?” were some of the other comments made.
Limited ceasefire in Ukraine-Russia war could be beneficial: Erdoğan to Putin
Meanwhile, Erdoğan informed Putin on Friday that a limited ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, focused specifically on protecting energy infrastructure and ports, could be advantageous, according to a statement from Erdoğan’s office, reported Reuters.
The statement noted that during their talks in Turkmenistan, the two leaders reviewed broader peace initiatives related to the war and discussed the EU’s decision to freeze Russian assets. Erdoğan also reaffirmed that Turkey was prepared to host negotiations in any format.
