At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif drew attention when they were photographed with their backs to each other. In a picture shared from PM Modi’s official X handle, Sharif appeared in the background while Modi emphasized his “productive exchange of views” with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on energy, security, healthcare, and pharmaceutical cooperation.
The sense of distance was evident a day earlier as well, during the customary family photo of SCO leaders, where Modi and Sharif stood far apart in the lineup. The strained optics come against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor — India’s May 7 cross-border strike after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack — which has kept India–Pakistan relations tense in recent months.
The summit also witnessed a formally announced meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi reiterated India’s commitment to improving ties with Beijing, while stressing the importance of border stability and addressing the nearly USD 100 billion trade imbalance. The talks carried added weight given the lingering shadow of the 2020 Galwan clash and the ongoing military standoff.
