E-Paper
‘Draft’ tag in Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s X post edit history raises questions
The post by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, shared before Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire, has gone viral.
A fresh controversy involving Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif has erupted on social media. In an X post shared prior to Donald Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire, Sharif urged the US president and Iran “for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East.” The controversy started when social media users flagged what appears to be an earlier version of the tweet with an extra phrase.
What did the Pakistan PM post?
“Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future. To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture. We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region,” tweeted Shehbaz Sharif on April 8.
Also Read: Why Trump agreed to a ceasefire with Iran. Pak's Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir get special mention
What is the ‘Edited X post’ row?
However, social media quickly shifted its attention to the tweet’s “Edit history”. A click on the option shows what appears to be an earlier version of the post shared with an extra line: “Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X.” It is timestamped a minute earlier than the latest post on PM Shehbaz Sharif’s X profile.
Screenshots of what many labelled the “original version” of a later-edited tweet have flooded social media, with many questioning whether Pakistan’s diplomatic message was crafted independently or influenced by external factors.
Social media reacts:
The post has prompted varied responses on social media, including a few hilarious ones. An individual wrote, “Learn to post properly first.” Another commented, “Another prime example of why you should be checking before copying and pasting things.”
A third posted, “This isn't some grand conspiracy — it's just embarrassing incompetence. The edit history proves they copied and pasted an entire draft without basic proofreading. Governments worldwide make mistakes, but when your PM’s official statement on war and deadlines has it, it raises serious questions about message discipline and staff quality.” A fourth expressed, “Bro is doing a copy-paste job being PM of Pakistan.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the US has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. He also mentioned Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir in his message.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif announced that Islamabad will host US-Iran talks on April 10.
