A viral video sparked outrage online, claiming Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif barged into a closed-door talk between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after waiting 40 minutes. The clip, shared widely by RT India, showed Sharif entering a room, standing awkwardly for a bit, and then leaving – igniting memes and diplomatic shade across social media.​

But fact-checks quickly debunked the "gatecrash" drama. The moment happened on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust, celebrating Turkmenistan's neutrality day. Sharif was there for a scheduled bilateral with Putin on trade and security, but a timing mix-up led to the overlap. Pakistani officials confirmed he briefly joined to discuss regional issues with both leaders, calling it a normal summit shuffle rather than an intrusion. No Kremlin backlash followed, and RT India pulled the post, labeling it a possible "misrepresentation."​

The internet didn't hold back, with users trolling Sharif as Pakistan's "diplomatic klutz" – especially after his earlier headphone fumble during a Putin SCO meet. Hashtags like #SharifGatecrash trended, drawing parallels to other leader blunders, such as unplanned walk-ins at G20 side events. Yet this highlights a bigger issue: how 10-second clips can twist high-stakes diplomacy into viral fodder.​

Amid Pakistan's economic push, Sharif's Moscow outreach aims to balance India's strong Russia links, eyeing energy deals and tech swaps. The non-incident underscores the protocol tightrope at forums like this – eagerness meets rigid schedules. Similar overlaps have happened to leaders worldwide without the same buzz, proving video context is king in today's info wars.