PM himself included me in UN team as advisor, claims Shama Junejo

• PM personally tasked me with preparing his speech, claims Junejo.
• Columnist says she had been working with PM for several months. 
• Junejo openly criticises defence czar Khawaja Asif for his remarks.

Shama Junejo, a columnist known primarily for her social media presence, has claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally tasked her with drafting his speech for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and formally included her in his UNGA delegation.

The assertion, made in a statement on X, comes amid political debate over her involvement in the high-profile visit to New York.

Junejo stated that she had been working with the prime minister for “several months”, contributing policy briefs and strategic inputs “during the recent Pak-India war and beyond”.

She further claimed: “It was the Prime Minister himself who tasked me with preparing his UN General Assembly speech. He included me in his delegation; my name was listed as Advisor, and a UN security pass was duly issued.”

Junejo’s post comes amid a controversy over her presence at the UNSC session on September 24, 2025, after allegedly pro-Israel old tweets of hers surfaced online. Junejo was seen seated directly behind the defence minister during his speech at the UN.

When social media backlash refused to die, the defence minister said it was not for him to comment on her presence, and that the Foreign Office would know more.

On its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the woman seated behind Asif during his address to the UNSC did not have the approval of Pakistan’s authorities.

However, Junejo claimed on Sunday, she worked with the PM’s team throughout the visit, attended key sideline meetings, including one with Bill Gates, and was seated alongside senior cabinet members during the Climate Conference on September 24. 

“At the Climate Conference… I was seated behind the prime minister alongside Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, whose ministry has now issued a tweet contrary to the facts”, she said.

She also said she had participated in the AI Summit, sat behind Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during one session, and returned with him in the same vehicle. On the final day, she claimed she was present “during the prime minister’s historic UN address with a special pass, seated among the Pakistani delegation. Khawaja Asif sat in front of me with fellow ministers, and we applauded together as the prime minister delivered Pakistan’s message to the world”.

Rejecting suggestions that she exaggerated her role, Junejo maintained the speech was “teamwork and collective effort” but that she “played [her] part in that process and proudly shared it”.

Junejo, however, went further and has also openly criticised Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for publicly questioning her role. “Why is Khawaja Asif… issuing statements that undermine a historic visit and under whose agenda?” she asked, adding: “His statement and MOFA’s tweet have embarrassed Pakistan globally. It is the PM’s authority that stands challenged here, not mine”.

On reports about missing files, Junejo said she had carried her own research material and drafts but was denied access to official records. “I carried hard copies of speech drafts and meeting notes — my personal intellectual property. These were sensitive but not state documents. I held no access to or custody of any official files beyond my remit”.

Addressing resurfaced social media posts regarding Israel, Shama Junejo said her past academic engagement was being misrepresented. “During my doctoral research, I approached global figures for interviews, including Netanyahu… that interview never materialised. A seven-year-old tweet is now being weaponised to falsely paint me as pro-Israel. This is false and dangerous”.

She did add, though, that, while she had once engaged in academic debate on “potential recognition” during the Abraham Accords period, “since October 2023, the world has changed and so has my position, rooted in moral clarity.

“Gaza has shown how conscience demands we adapt. I have unequivocally condemned the genocide in Gaza, publicly called Netanyahu a war criminal, and consistently demanded a permanent ceasefire”. The ‘potential recognition presumably refers to the recognition of Israel, something the majority of Pakistan has been opposed to over years and decades.

Junejo concluded by warning that any attempts to malign her would be challenged legally: “If anyone attempts to malign my character or professional integrity, I reserve the right to pursue legal action in the UK”.