RT India deletes X post about PM ‘waiting to meet’ Putin, says it ‘may have been misrepresentation of events’

RT India has deleted a post on social media platform X about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “waiting to meet” Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that it “may have been a misrepresentation of events”, it emerged on Saturday.

The development came as PM Shehbaz was in Ashgabat to attend an international forum. On Friday, the premier met a host of leaders on the sidelines of the gathering, including Turkish Pre­sident Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Kyrgyzstan Pres­ident Sadyr Japarov and Putin.

“Great interactions with world leaders. Pakistan shining at the global stage,” said Information Minister Ataullah Tarar on X on Friday night, sharing a video of PM Shehbaz shaking hands with Putin as the two stood in what appeared to be a hallway.

He also termed the meetings with Putin, Erdogan and Pezeshkian “warm and cordial exchanges”.

Prime Minister’s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi also shared the same video, saying PM Shehbaz had “productive meetings with his peers from all the countries” that attended the forum.

“The customary warmth in relations was in ample evidence as the prime minister shared the day with President Erdogan, President Putin and a host of other key world leaders,” he said.

The same video was also shared by the Russian embassy in Pakistan.

However, RT India, appeared to have shared a different video, which has since been deleted from X.

In a clarification issued late on Friday night, it said, “We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust forum in Turkmenistan. The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events.”

RT India is the newest branch of Russia’s state-funded global media network. Putin had launched the RT India news channel last week during a visit to New Delhi.

According to Indian media, the original RT India post stated that PM Shehbaz waited for Putin for 40 minutes before “growing tired and gate-crashing” the Russian leader’s meeting with Erdogan.

“He left ten minutes later,” Times of India and Hindustan Times quoted the original post as saying.

Meanwhile, Russia’s RIA news agency reported that PM Shehbaz had later joined the talks between Erdogan and Putin, which had lasted 40 minutes behind closed doors.