Awkward laugh to headphone fumble… Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s embarrassing moments go global

Oh, Shehbaz Sharif. The Pakistan prime minister was once again caught in a rather embarrassing moment during the Gaza Peace Summit being held in Egypt.

The incident from Egypt revives memories of Sharif’s embarrassment at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit (SCO) in China’s Tianjin, where he was not struggled with errant headphones but was also sidestepped by China and Russia’s leaders — Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

It almost seems safe to say that Shehbaz Sharif and his presence at international events don’t go hand in hand.

So, what exactly happened to Sharif this time around?

Trump’s praise for Modi leaves Sharif awkward

On Monday (October 13) after Hamas released all 20 hostages to Israel, US President Donald Trump made his way to Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh for the Gaza peace summit, which was attended by 20 other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, the UK PM Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni among others.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present at the summit as was India’s Minister of State Kirti Vardhan.

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It was when Trump took the mic that the awkward moments began for Shehbaz Sharif. At first, Trump acknowledged Sharif’s presence at the summit, but added that he was expecting to see Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir.

“Prime Minister Sharif of Pakistan, and also, I have to say, my favourite field marshal from Pakistan, who’s not here, but the prime minister is here, and you’re going to give his regards. Where are you?” Trump asked, as Sharif stood behind him.

"Asim Munir is my favourite Field Marshal," says Donald Trump as Pakistan's PM Sharif stands behind him pic.twitter.com/XNkPBd04ou

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) October 13, 2025

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Cue the awkward face from Shehbaz Sharif. But that wasn’t the end of it.

Trump in his speech then referred to the India-Pakistan hostilities from May. The US president turned to Shehbaz Sharif after lavishing praise on India and its PM Narendra Modi, leaving the Pakistani prime minister in quite a fix.

“India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top [referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi] and he’s just done a fantastic job. I think Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together,” Trump said, prompting a brief smile from the Pakistani leader standing behind him.

TRUMP: I think Pakistan and India are gonna live very NICELY together

Turns to Shehbaz Sharif: ‘Right?’

Pakistan’s PM responds with big smile pic.twitter.com/KVqDpiHW3i

— RT (@RT_com) October 13, 2025

Pakistan’s Sharif kowtows to Trump

But this wasn’t the only embarrassing moment for Sharif at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt. When given an opportunity to speak by the US president, Sharif used the platform to lavish praise on Trump and once again reiterating how the American leader was deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Had it not been for this gentleman, who knows, India and Pakistan are both nuclear powers, had he not intervened with his wonderful team during those four days, the war could’ve escalated to a level… and who would’ve lived to tell what happened,” said Sharif.

The Pakistani PM called Trump the “most genuine and most wonderful” candidate for the Nobel Prize, saying that not only did save “millions of people” in South Asia by purportedly brokering peace between India and Pakistan, he had now done the same in Gaza through his ‘peace proposal’ for the beleaguered territory.

Pakistan PM Sharif PRAISES Trump for stopping India-Pak war

‘India and Pakistan are both NUCLEAR powers’

‘Had he not intervened… war could have escalated to a level who would have LIVED to tell what happened’ https://t.co/bM0fMPcbkB pic.twitter.com/IcNRf1PID1

— RT (@RT_com) October 13, 2025

When Trump returned to the podium, he responded light-heartedly to Sharif’s glowing tribute: “Wow! I didn’t expect that. Let’s go home, there’s nothing more I have to say. Goodbye everybody. That was really beautiful and beautifully delivered, thank you very much.”

Many social media users have pointed out to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s reaction, as Sharif re-nominated Trump for the award. Among the many, was Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who wrote on X: “Just fell short of calling him (Donald Trump) Daddy, would have completed the boot licking.”

Shehbaz Sharif’s awkward moments at international events

The events at Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh aren’t the first time that Shehbaz Sharif has been left embarrassed at an event.

In September, the Pakistani PM struggled to remain relevant at the SCO Summit in China’s Tianjin while Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed a moment of bonhomie with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin — a photo that turned out to be most talked about.

Furthermore, Sharif was mocked when a video showed him running to Putin to shake his hand after a formal photo session. It has even led to massive trolling of the Pakistan PM on social media.

One social media user wrote, “While other leaders showed composure, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif came running to Putin to shake his hand… Pathetic attention-seeking behaviour. Xi Jinping realised what Shehbaz was going to do, so he looked the other way and ignored him.”

And who can forget Sharif fumbling with his headphones during his meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO, leaving the Russian president amused. A video on X showed the Pakistani leader struggling to put on the earphones used for translation as he keeps on adjusting them on his ear with Putin looking on.

This incident was similar to one he faced in Uzbekistan in front of none other than Putin himself as he struggled to adjust his translation headphones during a bilateral meeting at the SCO summit in Uzbekistan.

The Pakistani leader was also mocked in February when he posted a congratulatory message to Trump. The reason for the ridicule — he posted the message on X despite Pakistan’s ban on the social media platform. The post was flagged by X with a Community Note accusing him of illegally using X through a VPN.

With inputs from agencies