Who is the woman? Why is she with the delegation, and why was she sitting behind me? Only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can answer these questions, says Defense Minister Khawaja Asif
No one can sit behind a minister in a Security Council or General Assembly meeting unless he is recognized as the official representative of the government
Critics share woman’s tweets in support of Israel, Foreign Ministry distances itself from Shama Junejo’s participation in UNSC meeting
Shama Junejo was seen sitting behind Defense Minister Khawaja Asif during a debate in the UN Security Council this week
Dr. Akhtar Gulfam Editor-in-Chief, Daily Dawn, Director News Dawn TV
London: Shama Junejo was part of the Pakistani delegation to the UN General Assembly meeting. The woman was seen sitting behind Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during a debate at the Security Council this week. Sources claim that Shama Junejo was with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his plane from London.
On September 25, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif addressed a Security Council meeting on the topic of artificial intelligence, but images of her speech quickly went viral on the social media platform ‘X’, as users saw Shama Junejo sitting in the background and shared screenshots of her old tweets, in which she expressed support for Israel.
After an uproar on social media, Khawaja Asif explained on X that he had replaced Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif due to his busy schedule, as the Prime Minister was attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Khawaja Asif said Who is this woman? Why is she with the delegation, and why was she sitting behind me? Only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can answer these questions; it is not appropriate for me to answer on their behalf.
The statement said that the person concerned was not included in the official letter of credentials signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, which was issued for Pakistan’s delegation to the 80th UNGA session. If this is true, then how did Shama Junejo reach the assembly?
The statement further said that his seat behind the Defense Minister was not approved by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister.
Meanwhile, Shama Junejo also shared screenshots of his old tweets on ‘X’, in which he condemned the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Generally, no one can sit behind a minister in a Security Council or General Assembly meeting unless he is recognized as the official representative of the government. The question is, who allowed this to happen and why?
The Foreign Office said that Shama Junejo’s name was not on the list of the official delegation approved by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for the 80th session of the General Assembly.
London-based Shama Junejo has faced criticism in the past for social media posts in favor of recognizing Israel.
In an August 2022 post on X (formerly Twitter), she said that it would have been an “honor” for her to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that she would make a picture with him her profile picture.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel, and its passport states that it is valid for travel to all countries “except Israel.” The government has always taken a strong stance in favor of Palestine, which was reaffirmed this week by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials during UN meetings in New York.
On September 25, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif represented Pakistan at a debate on ‘Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security’ at the United Nations Security Council, while Shama Junejo was sitting just behind him.
When pictures of the event began circulating on social media, Khawaja Asif tweeted on September 26 that he was unaware of the woman’s presence and that the Foreign Office was arranging the seating.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote: “Whether this woman or anyone else sits behind me is and remains the discretion of the Foreign Office.”
The Foreign Office, without naming the woman, said in a statement: “The name of the individual concerned was not included in the list of Pakistani delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which is signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (Ishaq Dar). So her seat behind the Defense Minister did not have the approval of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister.
Milhaqa Samdani, Director of the Community Alliance for Peace and Justice, said that “Shama Junejo is a supporter of Israel and the agenda of restoring relations, including her in Pakistan’s UNGA delegation, is not a good impression for the country.”
On the other hand, journalist Ahmed Noorani said that it is shameful to question Shama Junejo’s patriotism or call her ‘pro-Israel’ based on her views on diplomacy.
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