ISLAMABAD: Finally, there is good news for the head of the Pakistani delegation, former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, presently in Israeli custody, who is expected home “in a couple of days”. The government said that Khan was safe and in good health.
The former senator in accordance with local legal procedures, was expected to be presented before a court. Upon the issuance of deportation orders, his repatriation would be facilitated on a fast-track basis.
Other members of the Pakistani delegation included Ismail Khan, Dr Osama Riaz, Wahaj Ahmad and Maulana Khateeb ul Rehman, Syed Azeri Nizami who were part of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla.
The Foreign Office without naming these five individuals had nevertheless said on Sunday that some Pakistanis who had disembarked earlier had been successfully brought back home. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remarked that through the efforts of Jordan “we are hopeful that the process (to free Khan) can be successfully concluded within the next couple of days”.
Previously, the Foreign Office had not named the country that was working behind the scenes through contacts with Israel to free Khan except to say that it was a friendly European country. Since Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel it has approached others to help with the release of Mushtaq Khan.
“Through the diplomatic channels of a friendly European country, we have confirmed that former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad is in the custody of the Israeli occupying forces and is safe and in good health,” said the Foreign Office.
“Pakistan, through its Embassy in Amman, is working tirelessly to secure the safe evacuation of former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. With the invaluable assistance of the Jordanian government, we are hopeful that the process can be successfully concluded within the next couple of days. We are deeply grateful to the brotherly government of Jordan for their exemplary cooperation and generous support,” added the Foreign Office.
Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is a former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator whose boat was part of the 45-vessel flotilla, with activists and politicians, including Greta Thunberg on board, which started its sea journey from Spain last month and had been the focus of millions around the world.
Israeli naval forces had intercepted the flotilla in international waters. Pressure had been mounting in the government, including on the social media, for freeing the former senator with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a telephone call assured the Jamaat-i-Islami on Friday that his government was actively engaged in efforts to secure the safe return of Pakistani nationals, including former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan.
“Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, emphasising that Pakistan’s stance is clear and resolute. He reiterated Pakistan’s long-standing position advocating for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem (Al-Quds) as its capital,” said the PMO.
Meanwhile, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Athens after being deported from Israel where a Gaza-bound aid flotilla she was part of was intercepted by Israeli naval forces, BBC reported.
She was among 171 foreign activists who Israel says have been deported over the past 24 hours. They were detained on Thursday when their flotilla tried to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
Israel’s foreign ministry said they were flown to Greece and Slovakia, and that Greek, Slovakian, French, Italian, British and US citizens were among them.
Television pictures showed Thunberg being welcomed at Athens airport by a crowd of people, some waving Palestinian flags. Organisers of the flotilla said their goal was to “break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people”.
They said the interceptions violated international maritime and humanitarian law. Activists from New Zealand detained in Israel after they were removed from vessels carrying aid to Gaza are being held in poor conditions without access to water and legal representation, their families have said, the Guardian reported.
