ISLAMABAD: A tug of war has erupted in Islamabad between two federal ministries where neither is taking the blame but instead directing criticism at each other.
This is a very rare incident as both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence always work closely on several issues.
Both ministries are refusing to take ownership of a Pakistani British journalist and researcher, Dr Shama Junejo who is part of the Pakistan’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that is currently led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The issue erupted when Dr Junejo was seen sitting behind Defense Minister Khawaja Asif during a Security Council debate this week.
Observers on social media were appalled and the uproar continues because Dr Junejo strongly supports Israel and has advocated for its recognition by Pakistan.
On Friday, Khwaja Asif after two days of uproar on the social media, said he did not know the woman sitting behind him, (and did not identify her by name), in the video and it was entirely the prerogative of the Foreign Office to choose analysts and researchers for the Pakistani delegation.
Referring to Shama, on X, he said questions such as “Who is this woman? Why was she with our delegation? Why was she seated behind me?” can only be answered by the Foreign Office (FO). “It is not appropriate for me to respond on their behalf,” he clarified.
Since Pakistan does not recognise Israel and has steadfastly supported an independent Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders, something that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif spoke in his address with the UNGA on Friday.
“My emotional attachment and commitment to Palestine spans 60 years,” Defence Minister Asif wrote on X. “My views on Gaza are clear, and I express them openly. My thoughts on Israel and Zionism are nothing but hatred. Who this woman is, why she was with us in the delegation, and why she was seated behind me — only the Foreign Office can answer.”
However, the Foreign Office hit back immediately soon after midnight and clarified without naming Junejo.
“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”.
Replying to a question on Geo News’ programme Naya Pakistan, Khawaja Asif said he was “taken aback” by the Foreign Office’s clarification, wondering how such individuals could join a delegation to whom no one owns.
Dr Junejo in another post, on January 11, 2023, wrote, “I wish Pakistan could borrow this [National water carrier] technology from Israel. There is a reason I always advocate to recognise Israel (sic).On July 11, 2023, Shama tweeted: “Absolutely. I have been advocating for years. That is why I am devastated to see them backing the wrong horse, Imran Khan [former premier]. As a staunch for Pakistan recognising Israel, it pains me that the focus is being misguided towards IK [Imran Khan] instead of prioritising the state of Pakistan.”
However, after the uproar, Junejo did not delete any of her tweets except a recent one in which she claimed that she works closely with the prime minister and also handles his sensitive documents which she has taken to hotel in London.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Office nor the Ministry of Defence have denied that she works as an adviser and speechwriter for Shehbaz Sharif.
Despite the fact that there were statements from the Foreign Office and the Defence Minister, Dr Junejo appeared again at the UNGA to hear the speech of the prime minister while sitting on the official seats marked Pakistan.
But Junejo said she joined others in leaving the UN General Assembly during Netanyahu’s speech on Friday. “We walked out from UNGA when the war criminal Netanyahu entered,” she said on X.
In a now-deleted Sept 21 post on X, Junejo, who has been criticised by many Pakistanis for her support of Israel, claimed that she has been working as an adviser to PM Sharif since May 2025. The researcher has also been photographed in the past with PM Sharif, his elder brother and three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Defence Minister Asif.
Asad Qaiser, a former speaker of the lower house of Pakistan Parliament, said the defence minister and the Foreign Office were “lying,” asking who allowed Junejo to reportedly travel in a Pakistani plane from London to New York, who allowed her an official Pakistani government seat behind Asif at the UNSC, and who prepared her passes that enabled her to regularly attend UN sessions.
“These questions are extremely important,” Qaiser said. “Most importantly she has been meeting Israeli diplomats and is known for her support to recognise Israel.”
“This is an extremely grave situation that the PM himself must explain,” he added.
Former PTI Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari when asked by The News remarked, “You cannot sit behind a minister in UNSC or UNGA unless you are identified as an official in the government of Pakistan. So who allowed this to happen and why? Is there a covert policy agenda at work viz rogue entity Israel, Bagram base, Abraham Accords? Government of Pakistan needs to come clean. Who is responsible?”