Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif at the Gaza Peace Summit, drawing backlash for his unexpected praise of Donald Trump amid a serious global forum (Photo: X | @SidraAslamOff)
The world was awaiting an austere international forum to tackle the crisis in Gaza when Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took an awkward turn when he divergent his words to praise the U.S. President Donald Trump. Instead of saddling the humanitarian goals of the summit, Sharif has utilized his airtime showering laurels for Trump dubbing him a man of peace and contended that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump clearly in joy motion coaxed Sharif to repeat for the audience his compliments from a private conversation. PM Sharif was all too happy to comply giving a five-minute endorsement which had Trump grinning and almost all else aghast.
While President Trump reacted with a jovial Wow, the responses found over social media were heavily frigid: I mean, people from across platforms bellowed their disbeliefs on what they saw as unwarranted amounts of exaggerated flattery. Anti-Sharif comments from Pakistanis and beyond branded it degrading and dishonorable because this was in respect to the Gaza Summit which should have amplified sufferings by Palestinians.
A few of the observers said that the summit was turned into the prime minister's forum for seeking the favor of global powers with government resources whereas others were questioning his discretion and dignity at the global stage. The public response was viral memes and sharp tweets but it flavors sour and biting.
"I find the prime minister's speech embarrassing," added Ammar Ali Jan, a reputed historian from Pakistan. This has been reiterated by many intellectuals and people in the diaspora. Figures of opposition have also made it known such as Hammad Azhar, saying that such behavior does not represent the will of the Pakistani people asserting Sharif's performance was not reflective of national dignity.
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Others chose a more straightforward approach commentators advised Sharif that he was embarrassing the nation by bootlicking many felt that he did so for personal political gains which is viewed as cynical but highly undiplomatic.
While he scored a personal moment with the President, he paid a heavy price in terms of his standing in the public eye. The Gaza Summit, which could have spotlighted a dire humanitarian crisis, instead turned into political theatre and Pakistan's leader found himself under disapproving focus. In his attempt to align with a global figure, Shehbaz Sharif has inadvertently distanced himself from the respect of his own people.
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