Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said former Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, detained by Israel last week after it intercepted an aid flotilla for Gaza, had reached Amman, Jordan, and was in “good health and high spirits.”
Mushtaq led the Pakistani delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade of aid to Gaza. As it approached Gaza, Israeli forces intercepted it and detained all activists onboard before deporting them.
“I am pleased to confirm that former senator Mushtaq has been released and is now safely with Pakistan embassy in Amman. He is in good health and high spirits,” Dar wrote on X, adding the embassy was ready to facilitate his return to Pakistan. “[I] am pleased to extend our gratitude to all our friendly countries who actively engaged and assisted in this behalf,” he said.
Confirming his release, Mushtaq wrote separately on his X account that the fight against the Israeli blockade would continue. “I have reached Jordan along with 150 of my companions,” he said, recalling the treatment meted out to the activists by Israel. “During this time, our hands were cuffed behind our backs, our feet were shackled and chained, we were blindfolded, dogs were set upon us, guns were pointed at us, and we were tortured in the worst way,” he said.
According to Mushtaq, the activists had gone on hunger strike. He alleged they were denied access to open air, drinking water and medication. They were also prevented from lying down, he added.
“We have been freed,” he said. “And the fight for Palestinian freedom will continue. We will break this blockade. We will go again and again. We will make efforts to save Gaza, and those who are complicit in this genocide—those criminals will be punished,” he said, adding he would soon return to Pakistan and share details on his time on the flotilla and in Israeli detention.
A day earlier, the Foreign Office had said efforts to secure the ex-senator’s release were ongoing. It had expressed gratitude to the “brotherly” government of Jordan for its cooperation in this regard.