Typos to Trump sidelining him: Pakistan PM's 'summit of humiliation'

He praised him as a 'man of peace'. Even called him 'saviour of South Asia'. Also, nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. But, all these shenanigans by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not seem to cut much ice with Donald Trump as he appeared marginalised and sidelined during the US President's first Gaza Board of Peace meeting on Thursday. Several videos have gone viral showing Sharif isolated and cutting a lonely figure at the event where Pakistan sought to project its so-called global relevance. However, only embarrassment was in store for Pakistan at the summit attended by 40 countries, with India joining in as an observer.

In fact, Sharif's Board of Peace outing was riddled with not only embarrassment, but gaffes as well. It started with a Foreign Ministry statement on Sharif's US visit that was replete with typos. For example, the United States of America became 'Unites States of Americas'. It not only became a subject of ridicule globally, but was mocked by Pakistanis themselves as well.

Before you can say "aise bade bade shehron mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain", hold on your horses. Some users also brought up the "I condom (instead of condemn) the attack" gaffe by Sharif that he wrote while reacting to Israel's airstrikes on Iran last year.

This happened even before Sharif landed in Washington. More uneasiness was in store as he attended the Board of Peace summit, Trump's UN-style initiative to oversee reconstruction in war-torn Gaza. In the group photo, Sharif was hardly visible.

SIDELINED AT PHOTO OP

The 5.5 feet Pakistani PM was relegated to the sidelines (imagine the scene from 3 Idiots where Rancho's friends were made to stand at the back row due to low marks). His discomfort was visible as Trump stood prominently at the front, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Qatar stood directly behind Trump.

In diplomacy, such minor optics matter, giving nations bragging rights about strategic relevance. Pakistan, which has been in overdrive to curry favour with the White House, seems to have lost that relevance. We will come to the reasons a bit later.

THE STAND UP MOMENT

At one point, Trump, in the middle of his speech, gestured toward the Pakistani PM and asked him to "stand up". Sharif immediately rose from his seat -- a moment that was mocked on social media, with several users dubbing him "Trump's puppet".

To add insult to injury, as Sharif stood up, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "great man" and a "very good friend". Sharif's uneasiness was visible.

Sharif again became the subject of ridicule when he, instead of outlining Pakistan's plans on Gaza, showered lavish praise on the US President for "mediating" the India-Pakistan ceasefire last year. This, despite India consistently maintaining that the truce was reached by the countries directly.

"Your timely and effective intervention to achieve a ceasefire potentially averted the loss of tens of millions of people... You have truly proved to be a man of peace. You are truly a saviour of South Asia," Sharif said.

It was not an isolated gesture. Sharif's over-the-top flattery for Trump was also on show last year during a gathering of leaders at Sharm El-Sheikh. At that time, Sharif called Trump "genuinely a man of peace".

AWKWARD EMBRACE

Another moment that caught the attention was the deeply awkward exchange between the leaders as the summit ended. In one instance, Sharif seemed to lean slightly forward, as if attempting to embrace Trump. Trump, however, did not seem too inclined. Later, though, Trump pulled him and shared a hug with the Pakistani PM.

There was, however, a brief moment of consolation for Sharif when Trump said, "I like this guy". The US President also reiterated his praise for Pakistan army chief Asim Munir, calling him a "great guy".

Now, as mentioned above, diplomatic friction seems to have crept in between Pakistan and the US over Islamabad's hesitation in contributing forces to Gaza as part of the stabilisation force.

This was evident in Trump's announcement on Thursday. The US President said Indonesia, Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Jordan agreed to contribute troops, but Pakistan found no mention. The force will be responsible for demilitarisation, aid delivery and ground-level security in Gaza following a gruelling two-year war with Israel.

For Pakistan, it is a Catch-22 situation. While it has joined Trump's Board of Peace, it has been reluctant to send its forces. A key reason is political risks back home.

For Pakistan, Palestine is a deeply emotive issue. Crucially, Pakistan does not recognise Israel and travel to the Jewish nation on Pakistani passports is banned.

Thus, against this backdrop, coordination with Israeli forces in Gaza would be politically sensitive and could ignite unrest and protests in Pakistan. This has been a major point of contention between the US and Pakistan.

For Pakistan, Sharif's Washington outing underscored a harsh diplomatic reality -- effusive or over-the-top praise for Trump does little to curry favour with the transactional US President in the long run. With Pakistan unable give concrete commitments on Gaza, the optics at the event reflected Islamabad's shrinking influence in Trump's scheme of things.

- Ends