RT India has retracted a social media post about Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “waiting to meet” Russian President Vladimir Putin, acknowledging that the post may have inaccurately portrayed the events.
The issue arose as PM Shehbaz was in Ashgabat attending an international forum, where he met several world leaders, including President Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, and Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov.
RT India initially shared a video, which was later deleted. The post had claimed that PM Shehbaz had waited for 40 minutes to meet President Putin before “growing tired” and reportedly joining Putin’s meeting with President Erdogan. The original RT India post stated that the prime minister left the meeting shortly afterward.
Later, the media outlet issued a clarification on Friday, apologizing over the post. It stated that the post may have misrepresented the events. The outlet acknowledged the mistake and removed the controversial post.
RT India is a recent addition to Russia’s state-run global media network, launched by President Putin during his visit to New Delhi last week.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar shared a video on social media showing PM Shehbaz shaking hands with Putin in what appeared to be a hallway. He described the interactions as “warm and cordial exchanges,” calling them a sign of Pakistan’s growing presence on the global stage.
Prime Minister of Pakistan @CMShehbaz at Ashgabad. Great interactions with world leaders. Pakistan shining at the global stage Alhamdulillah !
Warm and cordial exchanges with President of Russia Vladimir Putin @kremlinrussia_E , President of Turkey @RTErdogan and President of… pic.twitter.com/J72d0OcA3T— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) December 12, 2025
The video was also shared by PM Shehbaz’s spokesperson for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, who described the meetings as “productive.”
