Pakistan

PM Shehbaz asked me to write his UN speech, I was part of delegation: Shama Junejo

'I worked day and night with the prime minister’s team. I travelled with them, stayed in the same hotel, and was part of key sideline meetings'

Webdesk

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28 Sep 2025

Questions were raised earlier this week when a social media commentator was seen seated behind Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting. While no official explanation has been issued by the government, Dr Shama Junejo has defended her presence, insisting that she was a part of the Pakistani delegation.

In a statement on X, Dr Junejo said that she had been working for several months with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team, particularly during the heightened tensions with India. According to her, her policy briefs, advice, and talking points are part of government records.

She claimed that the prime minister himself tasked her with drafting his address to the UN and that her name was formally included as an advisor in the delegation. A security pass was issued to her in that capacity, she added.

“I worked day and night with the prime minister’s team. I travelled with them, stayed in the same hotel, and was part of key sideline meetings, including one with Bill Gates, which was aired on television,” Dr. Junejo wrote. She further noted that during the climate conference, she was seated behind Prime Minister Sharif alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minsiter Ishaq Dar.

میں پچھلے کئی مہینوں سے پاکستان اور وزیراعظم صاحب @CMShehbaz کے لئے کام کر رہی تھی!
پاک بھارت جنگ کے دوران میرے پالیسی بریفس، ایڈوائس، اور پوائنٹس، سب کچھ ریکارڈ کا حصہ ہے اور محفوظ ہے۔
مجھے وزیراعظم صاحب نے اقوام متحدہ کی تقریر لکھنے کا ٹاسک دیا۔ اور خود وفد کا حصہ بنایا۔… pic.twitter.com/YTED1ZKx1N
— Dr Shama Junejo (@ShamaJunejo) September 28, 2025

She alleged that despite her role, the finance ministry later tweeted that she was not part of the official delegation. Dr. Junejo countered this claim by saying she attended multiple events with the Pakistani team, including the AI Conference where she sat next to Khawaja Asif, and even helped review speeches prepared for the sessions.

Detailing her interactions with the minister, she said: “After the speech, we had tea together, waited for our car for forty minutes, took pictures again, and later returned to the hotel in the same vehicle. Khawaja Asif was seated next to me in the back.”

Dr Junejo also said that she attended the prime minister’s final UN address, sitting among the official team, and joined in applauding the speech, which she described as a product of collective effort.

She questioned why Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was now distancing himself from her presence. “If he is giving statements that undermine this historic visit, then the prime minister should ask him under what agenda he is trying to discredit it. His authority may have been challenged, not mine,” she remarked.