ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Tuesday that former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, detained by Israel after the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), has been released and is now at the Pakistan embassy in Amman, Jordan.
“I am pleased to confirm that former Senator Mushtaq has been released and is now safely with the Pakistan embassy in Amman. He is in good health and high spirits,” Dar said in a post on X, adding that the embassy would facilitate Mushtaq’s return to Pakistan whenever he wished. He also extended gratitude to “friendly countries” that helped secure the release.
Mushtaq led the Pakistani delegation aboard the 45-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla, which departed Spain last month carrying activists and politicians, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, in an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces before reaching its destination, and the activists were detained and later deported.
In a video posted to his X account, Mushtaq confirmed his release, saying he and about 150 other activists had arrived in Jordan. He alleged that they were subjected to harsh treatment during detention.
“Our hands were cuffed, our feet shackled, we were blindfolded, dogs were set upon us, and we were tortured in the worst way,” he said. “We went on a three-day hunger strike. We were denied air, water, and medication.”
Read More: PPP stages walkout from Parliament, demands apology from PML-N
Despite the ordeal, Mushtaq vowed to continue his struggle. “We will go again and again. We will make efforts to save Gaza, and those complicit in this genocide will be held accountable,” he declared, adding that he would share a detailed account of his detention upon returning to Pakistan.
On Sunday, the Foreign Office (FO) said it was actively engaging international partners to ensure the “safety and prompt repatriation” of Pakistani nationals detained by Israel. The FO later expressed appreciation to the Jordanian government for its “exemplary cooperation and generous support” in securing Mushtaq’s release.
Pakistan and several other countries condemned Israel’s “dastardly attack” on the flotilla. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also called for the immediate release of all those detained, assuring JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman that the government was fully committed to bringing the Pakistani activists home safely.
