Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Cropped SCO Photo Puts Sharif At Center, Sparks Controversy
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation met in Bishkek for a group photograph.
Pakistan shared a version of the picture with several leaders cut out.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were among those no longer visible.
The editing made Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif look closer to the middle.
India shared the complete picture, where Sharif stood fourth from the right.
Critics said the crop made Sharif seem more important than he actually was in the group.
Videos also showed Sharif speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the photograph.
The disagreement happened while India and Pakistan were already arguing about terrorism, water rights and their roles in the SCO.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office shared a cropped SCO summit photograph that removed Narendra Modi, Masoud Pezeshkian and several other leaders.
The crop made Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appear closer to the centre, while the full image placed him fourth from the right.
India’s PMO shared the complete photograph, prompting online criticism of Pakistan’s edited version as undiplomatic and petty.
Videos also showed Sharif approaching and appearing to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin for a brief conversation after the photo session.
The dispute unfolded amid India-Pakistan tensions over terrorism, the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan’s upcoming SCO chairmanship.
- Who
- The Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other SCO leaders.
- What
- Pakistan shared a cropped SCO leaders’ photograph that removed Modi, Pezeshkian and several other leaders, making Sharif appear more central.
- When
- 1 September 2026, during the SCO summit.
- Where
- Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
- Why
- The crop appeared to increase Sharif’s visual prominence, but the articles report no official explanation for the edit.
Critics of the crop
Pakistan’s summit presentation
Diplomatic optics
Critics of the crop
Critics called the official cropped image undiplomatic, discourteous and petty because it removed leaders from a multilateral summit photograph.
Pakistan’s summit presentation
Pakistan’s PMO presented the image with Sharif appearing near the centre, but the articles do not provide an official defense of the crop.
Sharif’s position
Critics of the crop
The full photograph shows Sharif standing fourth from the right rather than at the centre of the group.
Pakistan’s summit presentation
The cropped version shifted the visible composition so Sharif appeared more prominent, and Sharif later shared the complete photograph while highlighting Pakistan’s upcoming SCO chairmanship.
Summit prominence
Critics of the crop
The articles emphasize Modi’s interactions with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, including a brief moment when the three leaders held hands for the photograph.
Pakistan’s summit presentation
Sharif also participated in the summit and was shown approaching Putin after the group photograph for a brief conversation.
- Event
- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State Summit
- Location
- Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
- Date
- 1 September 2026
- Photo difference
- Pakistan shared a cropped image; India shared the complete group photograph.
- Sharif’s position
- He appeared fourth from the right in the full photograph.
- Leaders removed
- Narendra Modi, Masoud Pezeshkian and several other leaders were cropped out; reports differ on the precise number.
- Upcoming SCO role
- Pakistan is set to take over the SCO presidency and host the next leaders’ summit.
- Related issues
- The summit included disputes over terrorism and the Indus Waters Treaty.
