ISLAMABAD (Monitoring Desk) Former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan arrived in Islamabad on Thursday from Jordan, where he had been taken following his detention by Israeli forces, and received a warm homecoming — with well-wishers showering him with flower petals and garlanding the veteran politician.
Read also: How Gaza aid mission turned into detention and freedom for former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad
Pakistan’s embassy in Amman confirmed late Wednesday that Mushtaq Ahmad, who was among activists intercepted by Israel while leading the 45-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza, had departed safely for Pakistan. The flotilla — which set sail from Spain last month with a mix of campaigners and lawmakers, including international figures such as Greta Thunberg — was stopped as it neared Gaza; participants were detained and later expelled.
The Pakistani mission in Jordan said it organised all required arrangements for the ex-senator’s return “in line with instructions” from Pakistan’s deputy prime minister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs amplified the embassy’s statement on social media.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi and expressed gratitude for Amman’s role in receiving the released detainees and helping facilitate Mushtaq Ahmad’s passage home. Dar had earlier said the former senator was in good spirits and praised his courage for joining the Sumud Flotilla to push for humanitarian access to Gaza.
In a video posted on his X account after his release, Mushtaq Ahmad described harsh treatment while in Israeli custody — saying detainees had been handcuffed, shackled, blindfolded, set upon by dogs, and faced guns and physical abuse. He said flotilla participants mounted a three-day hunger strike and were denied basic necessities, including air, drinking water, medicine and the ability to lie down.
“Now we are free,” he declared in the clip, insisting the campaign to challenge the blockade of Gaza would continue. He vowed that efforts to deliver aid and press for Palestinian rights would be renewed, warning that those he called complicit in the violence would be held to account. Mushtaq told supporters he planned to return to Pakistan soon to give a full account of his experiences on the flotilla and during detention.
