There are handshakes and then there are Shehbaz-shakes.
If a psychologist analyzed the prime minister’s body language in videos and pictures from his meeting with President Donald Trump, they’d tell you that his stiffness, constant fidgeting and longer-than normal handshakes are indicative of tension and anxiety. And yet, Pakistan is at a geopolitical peak we haven’t seen in a long time.
Shehbaz and Field Marshal Chief of Staff Army (COAS) Asim Munir meet US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC on September 25, 2025. Photo Courtesy PMO.
Trump described PM Shehbaz as a “great guy”, which is about the highest compliment you could receive from such a head of state.
The meeting in the Oval Office was closed door, so we cannot say if the hugs have worked their magic.
For every Saudi Arabian official Shehbaz greeted, his embraces were more awkward than the last. But he did get us a defense deal.
Videos and compilations of the SCO Summit flooded X, where people posted humourous comments on how long and close the prime minister’s hugs lasted. But then again, these embraces came as he has been signing MoU after MoU with different countries, clearly, indicating that the charm offensive is working.
FM Ishaq Dar and Chinese FM Wang Yi in Islamabad Photo: FO X account
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wholeheartedly embraced this new school of diplomacy as well. No one was spared the “hand sandwich.” When Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi walked down the red carpet, Dar was there waiting with bated breath and twitchy fingers.
And then, with shock or amazement, everyone watched the magic of the hand sandwich Shehbaz-shake get to work: After a five-year delay, CPEC 2.0 was formally announced.
FM Ishaq Dar with Eygptian FM Badr Abdelatty Photo: X
Shehbaz held a bilateral meeting with Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of 80th Session of UNGA. 25 September 2025 Photo: PMO X account
Perhaps the key to diplomacy isn’t formality, it’s simply a ‘Jaadu ki Jhappi’.
