British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s sitting posture during an official meeting with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Istanbul has drawn attention on social media.
Pakistani journalist Anas Mallick, on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said, “UK’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband sitting with one of his legs crossed in an official meeting with Pakistan’s Deputy PM in Istanbul.”
“Imagine the shit storm this would have caused had the roles been reversed and if it was a Pakistani sitting like this, body language experts, diplomatic etiquette experts would have immediately jumped in to lecture, but of course since it’s the Brits, they get a free pass from the same criticism,” he added.
Some social media users argued that body language and diplomatic etiquette experts would have criticised the same posture if a Pakistani official had sat that way during a meeting with a British counterpart.
Deputy PM Ishaq Dar
Meanwhile, Dar held separate bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Germany, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and France on the sidelines of the E3 + Italy and R4 foreign ministers’ meeting in Istanbul.
Discussions focused on regional stability and efforts to promote peace.
Dar also met the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Egypt to discuss regional issues, according to details shared about his diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of the gathering.
Ishaq Dar meets French Foreign Minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in Istanbul on Friday to discuss regional and international developments.
The two sides discussed the economic and social impact of ongoing crises, particularly rising energy costs.
They also recalled their recent meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties between Pakistan and France.
Dar stressed the importance of regular dialogue and continued engagement to improve cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
