Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif became the unexpected main character at an international forum in Ashgabat when a simple diplomatic meeting turned into a global comedy reel. The gathering was supposed to celebrate Turkmenistan’s 30 years of official neutrality, a calm and serious milestone. Instead, it delivered a moment that will likely stay in meme culture far longer than in diplomatic archives.

According to the material provided, Sharif was left waiting with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for around 40 minutes in a room designated for his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. RT India released a video showing him shifting in his seat and looking increasingly restless, as though even the furniture had begun judging him. After nearly three-quarters of an hour, Sharif’s patience evaporated.

He finally stood up, walked out, and went straight into another room where Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were in a closed-door meeting. The move was described as a full diplomatic gate-crash. Sharif remained with the two leaders for approximately 10 minutes before quietly leaving the room, while Putin and Erdogan resumed their discussion as though nothing unusual had happened.

The incident occurred on the sidelines of the International Forum dedicated to the “International Year of Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, where leaders had gathered to discuss regional cooperation and global issues. Instead of peaceful optics, Pakistan ended up fielding viral memes about its prime minister wandering into high-level talks like a confused intern entering the wrong conference room.

Videos posted by RT India showed Sharif pacing out of the room meant for his meeting and entering the room where Putin and Erdogan were in conversation. This unscheduled appearance earned him an unintended cameo in a meeting that was supposed to have two actors, not three.

The forum itself brought together heads of state from Central Asia, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. The goals were earnest: peace, economic partnership, and energy cooperation. But Shehbaz Sharif’s uninvited stroll unintentionally became the highlight, overshadowing all official objectives.

Once the video went viral, Russia Today deleted it, arguing that it involved ‘misinterpretation’. In a tweet, it stated, “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.”

Sources later suggested that Erdogan might have nudged Vladimir Putin to get the video removed to avoid embarrassment for Türkiye’s closest ally, Pakistan. RT India also pulled down the footage and repeated its clarification, saying, “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.”

Meanwhile, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin and Erdogan held private talks after their delegations exited the room but notably did not mention any “gatecrashing” by Sharif. In response, Sharif attempted to redirect public attention by posting on X about his meeting with Erdogan.

He wrote, “Met my dear brother, President @RTErdogan, on the sidelines of the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat. It is always a pleasure to exchange views with a time-tested and trusted friend of Pakistan,” highlighting their reaffirmation of “the deep, historic bonds between Pakistan and Turkiye” and discussions on cooperation in “trade, energy, defence, connectivity, and investment”, as well as regional issues including Gaza and Afghanistan.

But none of this stopped the internet from erupting with jokes. One user summarized the fiasco by saying Sharif waited 40 minutes just to get a 10-minute cameo, comparing him to a man who mistakenly joins the wrong Zoom meeting and apologizes before slipping out. Another quipped, “Gate-crashing at global level… Pakistan’s foreign policy just got a new definition.” A third individual chimed in with, “Putin does not want to waste his time on beggars.”

The event itself honoured Turkmenistan’s long-standing neutrality. Leaders from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan were invited to observe the milestone. Yet only Pakistan managed to turn a routine diplomatic schedule into a sitcom plot. After the long wait, and joined by Ishaq Dar, Sharif chose to walk into the venue where Putin and Erdogan were speaking privately, staying for ten minutes before departing.

The forum also highlighted Turkmenistan’s significant natural gas reserves, the fourth-largest in the world. The country declared neutrality in 1995 under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who maintained strict political control, a largely closed system, and an economy dependent on natural gas. His son, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, who became president in 2022, has signalled slight openness, including interest in joining the World Trade Organization and diversifying the economy beyond gas exports, most of which go to China.

Every detail in the episode remained intact: Sharif’s long wait, the unexpected walk-in, Russia Today’s deletion, and the chorus of global mockery. What was meant to be a dignified diplomatic encounter wound up as a slapstick moment at an international stage, leaving Pakistan with yet another story it likely wishes the internet didn’t find so entertaining.