Shama Junejo | Pakistan

The controversy surrounding the supposed inclusion of columnist and social media activist Shama Junejo in Pakistan’s delegation to the United Nations this week took a new turn on Sunday when she claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had included her among the delegates as an adviser. The controversy had surfaced when photos from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s address at a UN Security Council session on artificial intelligence (AI) spread like wildfire on social media platform X, with users pointing to Junejo sitting in the background. Several of them also shared screenshots from her Twitter (now X) timeline from several years ago, expressing support for Israel — a position sharply at odds with Pakistan’s longstanding pro-Palestinian stance. After social media furore, Asif said on X that only the Foreign Office could explain Junejo’s presence at the session. Later, the FO clarified that she had not been part of Pakistan’s accredited delegation. Following that, Asif also spoke about the matter on Geo News...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday he was “taken aback” after the Foreign Office (FO) issued a statement distancing itself from the controversy surrounding the supposed inclusion of columnist Shama Junejo in Pakistan’s delegation for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting. On September 25, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had addressed a UNSC session on artificial intelligence. However, photos from his speech had spread like wildfire on social media platform X as users had pointed to Junejo sitting in the background and shared several screenshots from her Twitter (now X) timeline from several years ago, expressing support for Israel. Following social media furore, Asif said on X that Junejo’s presence at the session was at the FO’s discretion. For its part, the FO clarified that she was not listed in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. The matter came up during Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’ today, where...