If Modi Wishes, Pakistan Can Be Removed from Map: Eknath Shinde Slams Pak PMO

A childish social media stunt by the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has sparked sharp political outrage and widespread ridicule across India. Pakistan's official handle drew intense backlash after sharing a cropped version of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit group photo that conveniently excised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and several other international leaders. Reacting fiercely to the petty diplomatic slight, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde issued a stern warning, declaring that if Prime Minister Modi so desires, Pakistan could easily be wiped off the world map.

Eknath Shinde and MJ Akbar Condemn Petty Diplomatic Tactics

The controversy erupted on Tuesday when the Pakistan PMO's X handle uploaded a cropped photograph from the SCO summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, shifting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the center while sidelining Chinese President Xi Jinping and completely erasing Indian leadership. Although Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's personal handle later posted the original, unedited photograph featuring PM Modi, the damage to Islamabad's diplomatic reputation had already been done.

Weighing in on the incident, Eknath Shinde slammed Pakistan's recurrent antics, remarking that such petty digital censorship cannot diminish Prime Minister Modi's towering global stature or erase him from the hearts of 1.4 billion Indians. Invoking past strategic resolve, Shinde warned Islamabad against testing India's patience.

Echoing similar sentiments, former Union Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar lambasted the cropping incident as the "height of arrogance" and a symptom of deep-seated national insecurity. Akbar noted that such juvenile posturing turns Pakistan into an international laughing stock, exposing an inferiority complex that routinely manifests into erratic behavior and state-backed hostility.