Islamabad:
The Foreign Office (FO) has tried to distance itself from a controversy about the presence of Spalist Shama Junjo at Pakistan’s UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting after her appearance triggered a broad debate online.
In a clarification issued on x late Friday night, FO said, without naming Junjo, “the person in question was not listed in the official letter of credibility to the Pakistan delegation to the 80th Unga session, signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister”.
“As such, her seating behind the Minister of Defense did not have the approval of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister,” the declaration added.
The controversy broke out on September 25 when Defense Minister Khawaja Asif talked about a UNSC session on artificial intelligence. Photos from the event quickly spread on social media platform X showing Junjo sitting behind the minister. Users also reappeared several of her former positions that allegedly support Israel, which triggered harsh criticism.
Asif said Asif said he had spoken at the session instead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was engaged elsewhere while attending the 80th session in the United Nations General Assembly (Unga).
“This woman or the one sitting behind me was and is at the discretion of the Foreign Office,” Asif journalists said. He emphasized his personal and long -standing commitment to the Palestinian cause and remembered his friendships and ties with Palestinians from his years in Abu Dhabi.
“For the past 60 years, I’ve had an emotional attachment and personal obligation to Palestine,” the minister said. “My views on Gaza are clear and I express them openly. I hate Israel and Zionism.”
“Who is this woman, why is she with the delegation and why did she sit behind me? Only fo can answer these questions. It is not appropriate for me to answer their behalf.”
He pointed to his record of X as proof of his ducted solidarity with Palestine.
In response to the rebellion, Junjo turned himself to X and sent screens of his recent comment to Gaza. “Youthias calls me a zionist when I have been tweeting about Gaza almost daily and calling [Israeli PM] Netanyahu a war criminal and shows Israeli atrocities, ”she wrote, using a derogatory expression often used for PTI supporters.
“Once again, this whole campaign is launched against me because they only fear me,” she added.
The episode led to reactions from all over the political and bourgeois spectrum. Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari claimed that “one could not sit behind a minister in the UNSC or the United Nations General Meeting unless they were identified as an official representative of the government”.
“So who let this happen, and why? Is there a hidden political agenda at work, ie.
