By Staff reporter
ISLAMABAD A former senator detained by Israeli forces last week after they intercepted an aid flotilla bound for Gaza has been released and is now safely at the Pakistani embassy in Amman, Jordan, deputy prime minister said on Tuesday.
Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who led the Pakistani delegation aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, arrived at the embassy in good health and high spirits, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on the social media platform X.
The flotilla, comprising 45 vessels carrying activists and politicians from several countries — including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg — had set sail from Spain last month in an effort to break Israel’s blockade and deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Israeli naval forces stopped the convoy as it approached Gaza, detaining hundreds of participants and sparking protests in Pakistan and elsewhere, along with diplomatic demands for their release.
Khan, a former senator from the Jamaat-i-Islami party, was among those held before being deported. “I am pleased to confirm that former Senator Mushtaq has been released and is now safely with [the] Pakistan embassy in Amman,” Dar wrote. “He is in good health and high spirits.”
Dar added that the embassy was prepared to help facilitate Khan’s return to Pakistan whenever he wished. “[I] am pleased to extend our gratitude to all our friendly countries who actively engaged and assisted in this behalf,” he said.
In a video posted to his own X account, Khan described the harsh conditions he and others endured during their detention. “I have reached Jordan along with 150 of my companions,” he said, confirming his release from Israeli custody. “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.”
Khan recounted how the activists staged a hunger strike for three days and were denied access to air, drinking water and medication, and were not allowed to lie down. “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.”
Khan, emphasising his resolve, said the struggle would persist “from Adiala jail to Israeli jails.” He promised to return to Pakistan soon and share a detailed account of his experiences on the flotilla and in detention. The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from Pakistan and other nations, which described Israel’s actions as a “dastardly attack” on the flotilla.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had publicly called for the release of those detained. On Oct. 3, Sharif assured Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman in a telephone conversation that the government was working actively to secure the safe return of Pakistani nationals, including Khan. The flotilla, which included about 40 civilian boats carrying roughly 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, has become a flash point in the broader debate over humanitarian access to Gaza.
Thunberg was released on Monday, according to reports. Rights groups have urged the immediate release of any remaining detainees and called for renewed efforts to ensure aid reaches Gaza amid the ongoing blockade. In Pakistan, the interception prompted widespread demonstrations. On Sunday, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the eastern city of Lahore to denounce what they called threats to Palestinian land and rights.
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