The ongoing controversy over Shama Junejo’s participation in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent United Nations visit has intensified. Shama Junejo has now issued a detailed clarification, rejecting Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s claim that he did not recognize her and that she was not part of the official Pakistani delegation.
The debate began when a photograph from the UN General Assembly went viral. In the image, Khawaja Asif could be seen in the front row, while Shama Junejo appeared seated behind him. The visual quickly triggered discussions across social media platforms, where Junejo’s presence was criticized due to her previously expressed pro-Israel views.
Khawaja Asif distanced himself from the matter by claiming he did not know her. He also pointed towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which later clarified that Junejo was not part of the official delegation. However, Junejo has now strongly contested this version of events.
In a detailed statement shared on her official account on X (formerly Twitter), Junejo described herself as a journalist and analyst who had been actively working with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s team for several months. She explained that her contributions included preparing policy briefs and offering advisory notes during the period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. According to her, all of her contributions remain documented in the official record.
Junejo further revealed that the prime minister personally tasked her with writing his United Nations address. She stated that she was formally included in the team as an adviser and was provided a security pass by official authorities. According to her, she worked around the clock with the prime minister’s aides and even travelled with them during the visit.
Elaborating further, she mentioned staying in the same hotel as the official delegation and attending several high-level side meetings. Among these, she highlighted her presence at the prime minister’s meeting with philanthropist Bill Gates, footage of which later appeared on television. She also emphasized that she sat behind the prime minister alongside Ishaq Dar during the climate conference, despite the Ministry of Finance’s public claim that she was not part of the team.
Junejo provided even more detail regarding her interactions with Khawaja Asif. She claimed that during the AI conference, she was seated directly behind him along with another aide, Bilal. She added that they spent time together after the session, shared tea, waited for transportation, and even returned to the hotel in the same car, with Khawaja Asif seated beside her.
According to Junejo, she was also present during the prime minister’s final address at the UN General Assembly, seated near senior ministers, where the entire team applauded the prime minister’s remarks together. She stressed that the widely praised speech was not her effort alone but a product of collective teamwork.
She concluded her statement by questioning the motives behind Khawaja Asif’s remarks. Junejo stated that by denying her role, the defence minister was undermining not her authority, but that of the prime minister himself. She urged the prime minister to demand an explanation from Khawaja Asif, warning that such statements risked overshadowing what she described as a historic visit.
This dispute has not only sparked a political storm but has also raised questions about transparency in the composition of official delegations representing Pakistan on the global stage.
