Netizens Upset As PM Modi Not Received By Kyrgyz PM Unlike Imran Khan

The inequality in diplomatic protocol given to Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the 19th meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek has raised many eyebrows in India.

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Upon arrival in the Kyrgyzstan capital, Pakistan PM Imran Khan was welcomed by Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev while Indian PM Modi was received by the deputy prime minister of the country.

Ashok Swain, a professor of peace and conflict research at a European university, asked his social media followers the reasons behind the difference in treatment the two leaders received in the Central Asian state.

“India’s population is 1 billion more than Pakistan and India’s economy is $8 trillion (by PPP) more than Pakistan –struggling to find the reasons why India’s ‘Great Leader’ Narendra Modi was received by the Deputy PM and Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan was received by the PM of Kyrgyzstan,” he wrote in a tweet.

“Possibly because they were sure Indian media won’t know if it’s the PM or [his] deputy receiving him. We are only obsessed with Modi. Remember the PM of Bhutan incident during the swearing in?” one user wrote in response.

Earlier while addressing the formal session of the 19th meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of SCO in Bishkek, Prime Minister Imran stressed the importance of the SCO in a multipolar world. Khan stated the world is standing at a crossroads and the “advent of a multipolar global order” is being witnessed.