FO breaks silence on Pro-Israel woman behind Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: After a public backlash over the presence of Pro-Israel woman Shama Junejo in Pakistan’s United Nations General Assembly delegation, the Foreign Office has responded that she was not an official part of the Pakistani delegation and that her seating did not have the approval of the Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The controversy began when Junejo was seen seated directly behind Khawaja Asif during his remarks at the UN Security Council. The image sparked criticism on social media, where users pointed to her past statements allegedly supporting recognition of Israel.

In its official response, the FO stated:

“The individual in question was not included in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which was signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Therefore, her seating behind the Defence Minister was not approved by the Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister.”

Meanwhile, Khawaja Asif distanced himself from the matter. In a post on X, he wrote:

“Who is this woman, why was she part of our delegation, and why was she seated behind me? Only the Foreign Office can answer these questions.”

Shama Junejo has since publicly denied being pro-Israel, sharing several past posts from her social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where she had condemned Israeli actions in Gaza.

“For the past two years, I have tweeted about Gaza almost daily, calling Netanyahu a war criminal and highlighting Israeli atrocities,” she stated.

Despite the statement, the FO has not yet clarified who authorised Junejo’s presence in that seating arrangement.

Read more: PM Shehbaz wraps up US tour, heads back home