‘Olympic sport of flattering Trump’: Pakistan PM Sharif trolled by ex-envoy for social media diplomacy

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, mocking him for his effusive praise of former US President Donald Trump.

In a post on X, he wrote, “Pakistan’s PM still in the lead for Gold in what @FareedZakaria surmised might be the Olympic Sport of flattering Trump.”

Within hours, Indian MP Shashi Tharoor joined the fun, reposting Haqqani’s jab with apparent amusement.

The source of ridicule was Shehbaz Sharif’s grand post celebrating what he called “another historic day for peace and diplomacy” — the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord between Cambodia and Thailand. In his message, the Pakistan Prime Minister heaped lavish praise on Trump for his “instrumental role” in “advancing peace through the KL Accord, the Gaza Peace Plan, and his resolute efforts for peace and stability in the Middle East and South Asia.

His post gained global traction. “You'll run out of boot polish,” commented an X user.

Another one quipped, "Surely get sycophancy nobel, Unmatched flattering."

One social media buff questioned, “Did someone just give Trump credit for saving millions?" adding, "That’s like thanking a matchstick for preventing forest fires.”

Haqqani’s sarcasm resurrected memories of Shehbaz’s earlier comments, in which he hailed Trump as a “visionary leader for world peace”. At the time too, the remark had been met with discreet coughing fits in Pakistan’s foreign office and open amusement abroad.