Shama claims role in Shehbaz's UN team

As the controversy over her alleged inclusion in Pakistan's United Nations delegation deepens, columnist and social media activist Shama Junejo on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formally included her as an adviser.

In a post on X, Junejo asserted that she had been working for the prime minister for "the past many months".

"My policy briefs, advice and points during the Pakistan-India escalation are all part of the record and preserved," she wrote, further claiming that the premier had tasked her with "writing the UN speech".

She said the prime minister himself had included her in the UN delegation as an adviser and that she was issued a security pass. "I worked with his team day and night. I travelled with him, stayed with his team in the same hotel and was also a part of his important meetings on the sidelines (of the UNGA session), such as the one with Bill Gates."

She added that at another UNGA climate conference, she sat with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar directly behind the prime minister. "After the session on climate, the protocol team escorted me to the session on AI, where I sat behind Asif alongside a man I identified as Bilal," she wrote.

Junejo shared pictures with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal Bin Saqib, along with an image of her UN card. She claimed that during the AI conference, Bilal drafted a new speech. "We had tea together afterwards. We sat together for 40 minutes waiting for the car, and returned to the hotel together in the same car. Khawaja Asif sahib sat with me on the backseat of the car."

Junejo further asserted that she was also present when the prime minister delivered his speech at the UN. "There, Khawaja Asif was sitting in front of me, and we all applauded together for the prime minister." She said the PM's "historic speech was not only written by her, but it was teamwork".