Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif ‘gatecrashes’ Putin-Erdogan meeting after waiting for 40 minutes

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif grabbed global attention on Friday with an unusual diplomatic moment at an international forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, marking the 30th anniversary of the country’s permanent neutrality.

Sharif had been waiting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for a scheduled bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was delayed. After waiting for around 40 minutes, Sharif grew impatient and walked into a closed-door session where Putin was holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

A video posted on X by RT India, widely circulated on social media, showed Sharif seated in a room with the flags of Pakistan and Russia in the background, apparently waiting for President Putin.

“PM Sharif waited for over 40 minutes for President Putin before growing tired and gate-crashing the Russian leader’s meeting with Erdoğan. He left ten minutes later," the accompanying caption read.

The incident, described by some outlets as a "gatecrash", has triggered widespread commentary and memes online, with many framing it as a diplomatic misstep.

Sharif was attending the forum to engage with regional leaders and bolster bilateral ties, but the unexpected turn drew most attention.