The Government of Pakistan, including the ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is facing strong criticism on social media after users spotted that Dr. Shama Junejo, a social media activist and an unofficial person, was part of the country’s official delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Countries, journalists, politicians, commentators, and social media users are questioning her inclusion in the delegation representing Pakistan at the UNGA. She is being viewed by many as a pro-Israeli lobbyist. Social media users resurfaced her past statements in which she expressed admiration for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently committing genocide in Gaza.
Viral Image Triggers Backlash
Her inclusion in Pakistan’s UNGA delegation is being widely interpreted as soft signalling towards the Israeli government. The debate further intensified after a picture of Dr. Shama Junejo went viral on social media, sitting behind the Minister of Defence Khwaja Asif while he was delivering his speech at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Facing mounting criticism, the Minister of Defence quickly responded by clarifying that he did not know who was seated behind him during the speech. Adding the discretion and authority to decide the delegation lies solely with Pakistan’s Foreign Office. He also reiterated his commitment to the Palestinian cause. Later, a picture of him wearing a Palestinian Keffiyeh at the UNGA also appeared online.
Defence Minister Responds
“Since the Prime Minister was busy, I delivered this speech at the Security Council on his behalf. As for who sits behind me, that is entirely the discretion and authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
I have had an emotional attachment and commitment to the Palestinian cause for the past 60 years. My views on Gaza are clear, and I have always expressed them openly. My thoughts about Israel and Zionism are nothing but hatred.
As for who this woman is, why she was included in the delegation, and why she was seated behind me — these are questions only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can answer. It is not appropriate for me to respond on their behalf. The history of my Twitter account testifies that my relationship with Palestine is a part of my faith,” said the Defense Minister in his post on X.
The statements from the Minister of Defence quickly turned the spotlight to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with widespread demands calling for an explanation behind including Dr. Shama Junejo in a high-profile delegation.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Under Scrutiny
In response to the growing uproar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was unaware of the development and that an internal investigation is underway to determine how she became a part of the delegation.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has noted queries regarding the seating of a certain individual behind the Defence Minister at a recent meeting of the UNSC. To clarify, the individual in question was not listed in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the 80th UNGA Session, signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. As such, her seating behind the Defence Minister did not have the approval of the Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
Pakistani delegate accompanying Shahbaz Shatif meeting Israeli diplomat, earlier she claimed she accompanied Shahbaz Shrif in Air Force 1 as delegate… https://t.co/uEQOThUA4p pic.twitter.com/c0Es2wdMqu
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 25, 2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has noted queries regarding the seating of a certain individual behind the Defence Minister at a recent meeting of the UNSC. To clarify, the individual in question was not listed in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the… https://t.co/60w0te9hLX
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 26, 2025
The latest admission by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has only deepened the controversy, raising questions over who authorized her inclusion in the high-profile delegation and how she managed to secure a place in it.
The controversy emerged when her daughter, Michelle Kazi, shared pictures of Shama Junejo with the Pakistani delegation at the UNGA.
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 first with a national award last year and now this trip. Of course, @CMShehbaz.”
So she was allowed to board Pakistan’s official aircraft “Air Force One”, granted access to PM’s secret files, posed for photos with top govt officials, but now suddenly the Foreign Office says she wasn’t “approved”? If she wasn’t authorized, who gave her clearance all along??? https://t.co/QLQCSjTbZS
— Alina Shigri (@alinashigri) September 26, 2025
This woman says that she has been working on recognizing Israel for a long time. When she is appointed as the Prime Minister’s advisor on foreign affairs, the question will be whether the PML-N govt has decided to recognize Israel? She was given the task of writing a speech to… pic.twitter.com/QWQJKDrOtw
— Yasir Qadeer (@YasirQadeer1) September 26, 2025
Alarming Security & Protocol Breach at the United Nations @UN ??
How an unauthorized individual was allowed to sit directly behind Pakistan’s Defence Minister, during UN session. The defence minister is saying he has no idea how that “individual” ended up on the seat behind him,… https://t.co/Yd2aIAkJyt— Ather Kazmi (@2Kazmi) September 26, 2025
“Absolutely crazy! Under what rules was she inducted into the government? Was there a notification? @ForeignOfficePk should publish list of people accompanying @CMShehbaz Sitting behind @KhawajaMAsif problematic. Officials related to the Ministry sit behind the] Minister. Who made her delete the Tweet?” asked veteran journalist Mariana Baber. Other social media users claimed that she even has access to several confidential documents as well.
Responding to the criticism, Shama Junejo shared the tweets in which he raised his voice against the Israeli genocide in Gaza and called out the critics for calling her pro-Israel.
Many believe her inclusion has turned out to be the biggest setback for the current government at home.
From GVS South Asia Desk