Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir met Chinese President Xi Jinping in China, a day after PM Modi concluded his SCO Summit visit in Tianjin. Sharif appeared sidelined at the summit as Modi, Putin, and Xi shared camaraderie. Meanwhile, the SCO strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in a major diplomatic win for India.
Asim Munir meets Xi Jinping at SCO Summit (Photo/ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared several moments of camaraderie at the SCO Summit in China, drawing the attention of other world leaders. The display of bonhomie among the three stood out, while Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appeared sidelined.
In one viral video from the summit, Sharif is seen with a grim expression as PM Modi and President Putin walk past him without exchanging greetings. The clip shows Sharif glancing at them with visible disappointment before quickly looking away, a moment that has sparked chatter on social media.
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Meanwhile, in another video, Sharif was seen rushing to initiate a handshake with Putin after the group photo, while Xi and Putin walked past him.
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This came at a time when India and Pakistan share strained ties following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory ‘Operation Sindoor.’ Tensions have further escalated after Pakistan strongly criticized New Delhi’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in a major diplomatic win for the India on Monday had strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, and emphasized that the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of such attacks “must be brought to justice”.
The SCO nations also strongly criticized terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, underscoring that double standards in the fight against the threat are “unacceptable”. The 10-member grouping, which includes China, Russia and India, urged the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists.
In a joint declaration adopted at the conclusion of the two-day SCO Summit in Tianjin in China, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders, the SCO had said, “The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice.”
The condemnation of the April 22 Pahalgam attack came after PM Modi’s appeal to the SCO leaders to adopt a resolute position against terrorism and to work collectively to eliminate the menace.
In the Tianjin Declaration, the member states, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stressed the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes.
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