Former Jamaat-e-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan has returned to Pakistan after being released from Israeli detention, receiving a warm and emotional welcome at Islamabad Airport with supporters waving Palestinian flags.
Mushtaq Ahmed had led the Pakistani delegation on the Global Samood Flotilla, a 45-ship mission that sailed from Spain carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza to challenge the Israeli blockade. The flotilla included human rights activists, politicians, and Greta Thunberg, but Israeli forces intercepted it near Gaza, detaining all participants before deporting them.
After his release, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar praised Jordan’s role in facilitating Mushtaq Ahmed’s safe return. The former senator shared harrowing details of his captivity, including torture, shackling, and deprivation of basic facilities, and reaffirmed his commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Mushtaq Ahmed vowed that the struggle for Gaza’s liberation will continue and promised to share full details of the Global Samood Flotilla and his experience in Israeli prisons upon returning to Pakistan.