Pakistanis handed over to Jordan

ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani nationals, including The Express Tribune columnist Talat Hussain, producer Raza Mahmood Agha and an NGO representative, were handed over to the Jordanian Embassy in Israel on Tuesday, more than a day after they were detained by Israeli authorities that stormed the ‘freedom flotilla’ they were travelling on.

On Monday, Israeli authorities in international waters stormed a six-ship convoy carrying aid supplies that was intending to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, killing several people.

Pakistani authorities had desperately tried to contact Hussain, Agha, and their colleague after the raid, but could not establish a direct contact with them.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said the government had used all channels, including US officials and Interpol, to try and get information about the well-being and whereabouts of the Pakistanis detained in Israel.

On Tuesday night the interior minister announced that all three Pakistanis would return home on Wednesday. According to a Foreign Office official and US embassy officials, Israel did not allow US consular access to the detained Pakistanis as this was technically not possible according to diplomatic rules. However, Israel provided the US with information about the held Pakistanis along with information about the US citizens that were also detained.

Israeli authorities told the US State Department that the Pakistani nationals were being held at the Ella detention facility in the city of Beersheeba in southern Israel, along with other activists. Officials added that preparations are underway for the Pakistanis to be handed over to Jordan at the Israel-Jordon border. Staff at the Pakistani embassy in Jordan will receive them along with the Pakistani ambassador to Jordan Mohammad Akhtar.

According to officials, they will spend the night in Jordan. After this arrangements will be made for them to fly to Pakistan. Officials say 127 deportees, including the three Pakistanis, will be royal guests at the Shah palace in Amman.

Speaking to Express 24/7, Talat Hussain’s brother, analyst Dr Riffat Hussain, said he was completely satisfied with the way the government was handling the situation.

“We have no complaints with the way the government dealt with this,” Dr Hussain said. “The government has been constantly in touch with us, we have received calls from the President, the Prime Minister, from the Foreign Minister and Interior Minister. They have kept us informed of government efforts and expressed their solidarity and support.” Of the legality of launching an independent probe into the raid, Dr Hussain said that countries whose citizens had been killed or injured were well within their rights to undertake investigations into the matter or call for an independent probe.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction:

The earlier version misstated that the three Pakistanis will be royal guests at the Shah palace in Oman instead of Amman.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2010.