The inclusion of Dr Shama Junejo, a self-proclaimed defence analyst who is active on social media, in the Pakistani delegation attending the UN General Assembly session in New York has sparked controversy.

A photo of Dr Shama Junejo sitting behind Defence Minister Khawaja Asif at the UN session has generated a heated debate on social media.

Junejo, who shares her opinions on defence and foreign policy matters on social media platforms, had advocated for Pakistan normalising relations with Israel.

Some social media users alleged she had even met Israeli officials in the past.

Many social media users slammed Shama Junejo for expressing admiration for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is committing genocide in Gaza.

Dr Shama Junejo is a British-Pakistani political analyst, journalist, and lawyer, known for her commentary on Pakistani politics.

She holds a PhD in military ethics and was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for her services to journalism. She has often remained a controversial figure.

The main reason for the criticism is her past statements perceived as being in favour of Israel.

The controversy forced both Khawaja Asif and the Foreign Office to distance themselves from Shama Junejo.

Following the circulation of the image, Khawaja Asif denied knowing Junejo, stating that the seating arrangement was decided by the Foreign Office.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the defence minister clarified that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could not deliver the speech due to other engagements, which is why Asif represented Pakistan.

Regarding Shama Junejo, he stated: “Who is this woman? Why is she part of the delegation, and why was she seated behind me? Only the Foreign Office can answer these questions.”

However, a Foreign Office statement did little to end the controversy.

In its statement, the Foreign Office said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken notice of questions being asked about a woman seated behind the defence minister during the recent UN Security Council meeting.”

Clarifying further, the Foreign Office stated: “The individual in question was not listed in the Letter of Credence for Pakistan’s delegation to the 80th General Assembly session, which was signed by the deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Therefore, her seat behind the defence minister was not approved by the deputy prime minister and foreign minister.”

Despite the denial from both the defence minister and the Foreign Office, Shama Junejo claimed not only did she travel with the prime minister on his plane to the UN, but she was also tasked with writing the prime minister’s speeches.

She further claimed that she had access to confidential government documents.

Responding to the criticism against her, Dr Shama Junejo wrote: “The entire purpose of this Indian and Israeli lobby is to divert attention from the prime minister’s historic speech at the UN and his meeting with President Trump.”

The criticism also compelled Shama to share four screenshots of her posts, one from July this year and the rest from September 2025, all condemning Israel.

While calling out her critics, Shama said in the caption that she is being called a “Zionist”; nonetheless, she had called Netanyahu a “war criminal” in her tweets.

She stated that once again, a campaign had been launched against her because the trolls fear that she will expose the “fascist” in the United States as she did in Britain.

The tweets did little to assuage anger among social media users who continued to question the logic and wisdom of including a ‘pro-Israel lobbyist’ in the Pakistan delegation.

“The woman accepting Israel, proudly met with the Israeli ambassador, is now included in Pakistan’s delegation, a unique honour. She probably also said that meeting the Israeli Prime Minister would be an honour,” a user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Author Ayesha Siddiqa opined, “[The] Problem is that Shama Junejo, despite being a total fake was one of the people regularly sitting with Nawaz and Shahbaz in London. She was probably rewarded firstly with a national award last year and now this trip. Of course, @CMShehbaz.”