RT India Admits to Misrepresentation in Viral Post Defaming Pakistani PM Sharif, Amid Broader Scrutiny of Indian Media Bias

December 13, 2025 – Ashgabat, Turkmenistan / New Delhi, India

In a rare public acknowledgment of error, India's state-affiliated media outlet RT India (@RT_India_news) has deleted a controversial post that falsely portrayed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as awkwardly waiting to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The forum, held on December 12, gathered world leaders including Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Sharif to discuss regional stability and global security.

The original post, which quickly went viral and drew mockery from Indian observers and even segments of the Pakistani opposition, featured a clipped video snippet showing Sharif briefly entering a room where Putin and Erdogan were engaged in discussion. The footage, stripped of context, suggested an embarrassing diplomatic snub or prolonged wait—lasting up to 40 minutes, according to some claims. However, fact-checks and official statements from Pakistani and Russian sources clarified that the interaction was a brief, warm exchange amid a scheduling delay, followed by separate handshakes and productive bilateral talks. RT India's subsequent update explicitly stated: "We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan. The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events." The admission has sparked widespread backlash on social media, with users labeling it as deliberate propaganda aimed at undermining Pakistan's international standing and fueling India-Pakistan tensions.

The incident underscores ongoing concerns about misinformation campaigns targeting South Asian diplomacy, particularly those amplifying anti-Pakistan narratives. Pakistani officials described the meetings as "cordial and substantive," emphasizing shared interests in counter-terrorism and economic cooperation. Critics, including independent media watchdogs, have pointed to RT India's post as part of a pattern where state-backed outlets exploit edited visuals to stoke regional rivalries. "This isn't just a slip-up; it's a calculated hit on Pakistan's image at a high-stakes global event," said one Pakistani digital rights advocate, echoing sentiments from over 500 replies to the deletion notice.

This development arrives against a backdrop of deepening scrutiny over Indian media's role in propagating biased or fabricated content. According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), India ranks 161 out of 180 countries—a sharp decline from 150 in 2022—citing "very serious" threats to journalists, including censorship, violence, and political interference. The index highlights how media outlets often engage in "media wars" during geopolitical flashpoints, prioritizing nationalistic fervor over factual reporting, which erodes public trust and amplifies divisions.

Independent analyses further paint a grim picture of bias in Indian journalism. A 2022 study by the Mass Communication Department at Burdwan University analyzed coverage in five regional newspapers and four TV channels, revealing "clear biases" in reporting on sensitive issues like India-Pakistan relations, with over 70% of surveyed audiences (around 3,000 respondents) perceiving the media as untrustworthy and slanted. Corporate ownership exacerbates this, as media conglomerates prioritize political alliances over editorial independence, leading to suppressed stories and echo-chamber narratives. Community-driven efforts, such as bias charts compiled on platforms like Reddit, consistently rate major Indian networks as leaning heavily toward pro-government or sensationalist coverage, often at the expense of balanced international reporting.

Experts argue that such incidents, like RT India's gaffe, reflect a systemic issue in South Asian media ecosystems where fake news thrives on geopolitical fault lines. "Indian media's low credibility rankings aren't accidental—they stem from a toxic mix of ownership pressures and audience-driven polarization," noted a report from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, which examined Twitter manipulation during India-Pakistan escalations. As calls grow for stricter fact-checking protocols and platform accountability, this episode serves as a stark reminder of the real-world costs of unchecked propaganda.

RT India has not issued further comments beyond the deletion notice, but the episode has reignited debates on X, with hashtags like #FakeNewsIndia and #SharifPutin trending regionally. Pakistani netizens celebrated the correction as a "win for truth," while some Indian users decried it as an overreaction to "harmless satire." The forum itself concluded without further hitches, focusing on de-escalation in conflict zones—a goal now seemingly at odds with the digital salvos fired from afar.