‘Draft’ tag in Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif’s X post sparks row, people question if the message was scripted

A post by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on X has stirred controversy after users spotted what appeared to be a “draft” label in its edit history, prompting speculation about how the message was prepared.

The development came shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, pausing hostilities while both sides projected the move as a strategic win. Trump said Pakistan played a role in facilitating the proposal and that he had been in touch with its leadership.

Attention soon shifted to Sharif’s post, shared before Trump’s announcement, in which he appealed to both Washington and Tehran to de-escalate tensions.

“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,” read Sharif's post shared on April 8.

The controversy intensified after users examined the post’s edit history, where a version timestamped about a minute earlier allegedly included the line: “Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X.” Screenshots of this purported earlier version circulated widely, with many questioning whether the statement had been independently composed or externally influenced.

Image showing Shehbaz Sharif's X post.

Social media reactions

The episode drew a wave of reactions online, ranging from criticism to satire.

One user wrote, “USA wrote a draft tweet for him.” Another commented, “Abe shameless. Copy paste instruction follower. You are Pakistan's dumbest puppet of the USA.”

A third post read, “PAKISTAN NOT A "MEDIATOR" BUT JUST A FORWARDING AGENT. "Dalal" angle resurfaces as doubts over Pak's role are reiterated after a X-post by Pak PM Sharif to Donald Trump appears to have been written by someone else. It's doubtful that Pak PM would coin a text with the line "Draft - Pak PM Message on X".”

Another user remarked, “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 added, “Bro is doing a copy-paste job being PM of Pakistan.”