FO says evacuation of ex-senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan hoped for in ‘next couple of days’
The Foreign Office said on Monday it was making efforts for the safe evacuation of former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Muhstaq Ahmad Khan, who was detained by Israel last week after it intercepted a flotilla of boats carrying aid for Gaza, and hoped that the process could be “successfully concluded within the next couple of days”.
Mushtaq led the Pakistani delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). The 45-vessel flotilla, with activists and politicians including Greta Thunberg on board, left Spain last month to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine.
Mushtaq was arrested by Israel after Israeli forces intercepted and boarded the vessel last week, detaining the activists.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, through its embassy in Amman, is working tirelessly to secure the safe evacuation of former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan,” the FO said in a statement.
“With the invaluable assistance of the Jordanian government, we are hopeful that the process can be successfully concluded within the next couple of days,” the FO said.
The statement also expressed deep gratitude to the “brotherly” government of Jordan for “their exemplary cooperation and generous support”.
Last week, Pakistan and several other countries condemned Israel’s “dastardly attack” on the GSF, after its forces intercepted the flotilla in a move that sparked worldwide protest.
Previously, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called for the release of those detained by Israel. “We hope and pray for the safety of all those who have been illegally apprehended by Israeli forces and call for their immediate release,“ he said in a post on X on Thursday.
In a later post, he commended the “dignified participation” of Pakistani activists, including Mushtaq, in the humanitarian mission.
“The government of Pakistan … strongly demands the return of its citizens, praying and striving for their safety, dignity, and earliest possible return to the homeland,” he added.
Israel has previously blocked similar attempts to bring aid to Gaza as well. In June, the aid vessel Madleen, carrying 12 members — 11 activists and one journalist — on their way to break the Gaza siege, was intercepted by Israeli forces.
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Global News 
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