NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Office for cropping Prime Minister Narendra Modi out of a photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, saying Pakistan should not attempt to “play such games” with India.“What Pakistan has done is extremely unfortunate. Pakistan has always attempted such things. However, I would say that while they may have removed Modi Ji’s photograph, if Modi Ji wants, he can remove Pakistan from the world picture,” Shinde said on Tuesday.His remarks came after Sharif’s office shared an edited version of the SCO family photograph that placed the Pakistani prime minister at the centre while cropping out several leaders. The original photograph, taken before a session of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek, showed the heads of member states standing together.“During Operation Sindoor, terrorists in Pahalgam committed a grave crime against our people and our sisters by wiping away their sindoor. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, our armed forces completely destroyed terrorist bases in Pakistan. They also destroyed 11 airbase camps and brought Pakistan to its knees,” he said.“The entire country is proud of the Indian armed forces and Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Therefore, Pakistan should never attempt to play such games with our country,” Shinde added.He also said that editing Modi out of the photograph would not affect his standing in India or internationally.
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“I would also say that such an act of removing a photograph cannot erase Prime Minister Modi from the hearts of 140 crore Indians. In fact, Prime Minister Modi remains one of the most popular leaders in the world…”The 26th SCO summit, which marked the organisation’s 25th anniversary, focused on regional cooperation as well as security, economic and geopolitical challenges. The summit was held in the expanded “SCO Plus” format, bringing together leaders from member, partner and observer countries.Addressing the summit, PM Modi called for a united fight against terrorism and said there could be no “double standards” on the issue. He called for the dismantling of the “entire ecosystem of terrorism”, including its financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens.
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