A controversy over a cropped photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit took a fresh turn after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared the full group image on X, following questions over an earlier post by his office that appeared to leave out Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders.

The official social media handle of Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office had shared a version of the SCO group photograph in which Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were not visible.

The image quickly drew attention online, with users comparing it with the original photograph featuring all the leaders attending the SCO gathering.

However, Shehbaz Sharif later shared the complete group photograph from his own X account while posting about Pakistan assuming the SCO Chairmanship for 2027.

 

“Today, I was honoured to address the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting in Bishkek as Pakistan assumed the SCO Chairmanship for 2027,” Sharif wrote.

His post included the full photograph featuring the leaders at the summit, including Modi.

Pakistan PMO's cropped photo triggers questions

The earlier image shared by the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office had removed more than just the Indian Prime Minister from the frame.

SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were also absent from the cropped version.

But Modi's omission became a major talking point, particularly because the original photograph showed him standing alongside other prominent leaders at the summit.

Social media users soon began sharing the original image and questioning the Pakistan PMO's decision to post a cropped version.

Some mocked the move, while others questioned why Iranian President Pezeshkian had also disappeared from the frame if the intention was to exclude Modi.

One user called it a “cheap stunt”, while another sarcastically suggested that the image may have been cropped because of file size limitations.

Another user questioned the decision, writing: “What a narrow mentality! Can't afford to post the complete picture?”

One social media user also shared a photograph posted by Modi and contrasted it with the Pakistan PMO's version, commenting on how leaders present themselves on the global stage.

The SCO gathering brought together leaders including Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Masoud Pezeshkian, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

The 26th SCO Leadership Summit brings together 10 member states, 15 partner countries and two observer countries to advance dialogue and cooperation on regional and global issues.