Pakistani diplomats were left red-faced after a security and protocol breach at the United Nations when an unauthorized individual was allowed to sit directly behind Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during a recent meeting of the UN Security Council, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The Foreign Office (FO) was quick to distance itself from the controversy surrounding the presence of columnist Shama Junejo in Pakistan’s delegation during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting.
On September 25, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had addressed a UNSC session on artificial intelligence. However, photos from his speech had spread like wildfire on social media platform X as users had pointed to Junejo sitting in the background and shared several screenshots from her X timeline from several years ago, expressing support for Israel.
Following the social media storm, Khawaja Asif clarified that he had given the speech instead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the latter had other engagements; the premier has been attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). “This woman or whoever sat behind me was and is at the discretion of the Foreign Office,” Asif said.
In a post uploaded on its X handle, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has taken notice of the queries regarding the seating of a certain individual behind the defence minister at a recent meeting of the UNSC.
The damage, however, has been done as to how an unauthorized individual was allowed to sit directly behind Pakistan’s defence minister, during the UN session.
Khawaja Asif was saying he has no idea how that “individual” ended up on the seat behind him, and according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “The individual in question was not listed in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the 80th UNGA Session.”
This appeared to be a grave lapse in both security and diplomatic protocol. It is well known that access to such high-level session is tightly controlled and every delegate’s credentials are vetted and approved through official channels.
The presence of a unaccredited person in the seating area of a federal minister raised serious concerns about possible security breach.
How did that individual pass the UN security clearance without being on the official delegation list?
In its statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it 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,” the ministry maintained.
Earlier, in a post on X handle, Khawaja Asif said “I delivered this speech in the council because the Prime Minister was busy, so I spoke in his place. It was at the discretion and authority of the Foreign Office who this woman or anyone else sat behind me.”
The defence minister said “I have had an emotional attachment and commitment to the Palestinian issue for 60 years. During my employment at the Abu Dhabi Bank, I made Palestinian friends and colleagues, and I still maintain contact with them to this day.”
He added “My views on Gaza are clear, and I express them openly. My views on Israel and Zionism are nothing but hatred. Who is this woman, why was she with our delegation, and why was she seated behind me — the Foreign Office is the one that can answer these questions. It is not appropriate for me to respond on their behalf. The history of my Twitter account bears witness to the fact that my relationship with Palestine is a part of my faith.”
Reporter Anwer Abbas/Desk