The controversy surrounding Shama Junejo, who was part of the Pakistani delegation during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent United Nations visit, has taken a new twist as Shama Junejo has issued a detailed statement in response to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement, claiming that Khawaja Asif knew her well.
During the recently held UN General Assembly session, a photo of Khawaja Asif went viral on social media, showing Shama Junejo seated behind him.
Shama Junejo, who describes herself as a journalist and analyst, has faced criticism over her pro-Israel stance, and her inclusion in the Pakistani delegation triggered a debate on social media.
Khawaja Asif denied recognising her and shifted the blame onto the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which later clarified that she was not part of the official delegation.
Now, Shama Junejo has come forward, rejecting this impression in her detailed statement and claiming that she was not only part of the Prime Minister’s team but was officially included in the delegation as an adviser.
In her statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “I have been working for Pakistan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for several months. During the Indo-Pak war, my policy briefs, advice, and points are all part of the official record and securely documented.”
She added, “The prime minister himself assigned me the task of writing his United Nations speech and made me a formal part of the delegation as an adviser. My security pass was also issued accordingly. I worked day and night with his team and travelled with them.”
Claiming further, Shama Junejo said, “I stayed in the same hotel as the prime minister and his team. I was part of his important side meetings, like the one with Bill Gates, footage of which aired on TV. During the climate conference, I sat behind the prime minister alongside Ishaq Dar, whose ministry tweeted that I was not part of the delegation.”
Shama Junejo’s UN appearance sparks backlash over Israel ties
She continued, “After the conference, the protocol team took me to the AI conference, where Bilal and I sat together behind Khawaja Asif the entire time. Bilal was busy writing a new speech. After that speech, we had tea together, waited 40 minutes for the car, took more photos, and returned to the hotel in the same car with Khawaja Asif sitting beside me in the back seat.”
Giving more details, she said, “On the final day, during the prime minister’s speech, I was with everyone at the UN, where Khawaja Asif sat right in front of me, and together we all applauded the prime minister.”
She added, “The prime minister’s historic speech was not written by me alone; it was the product of teamwork and collective effort. My return flight was already booked, and the mission protocol team came to drop me at the airport.”
At the end of her post, Shama Junejo wrote, “Why is Khawaja Asif making such statements and under what agenda is he tarnishing his government’s historic visit? The prime minister should ask him, because it is his authority that is being challenged, not mine!”
