FM Dar confirms release of ex-senator Mushtaq Ahmad after Israeli forces intercept flotilla
Police officers watch members of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels, intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, demonstrating in the town of Ierapetra in the island of Crete, Greece, on May 1, 2026. Photo: AFP
Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was detained by Israeli forces along with other humanitarian workers aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, has been released, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Friday.
Mushtaq was part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla when 22 vessels were intercepted by Israeli forces near the Greek island of Crete, with 211 activists, including a Paris city councillor, taken into custody on Thursday.
According to organisers and Reuters footage, 168 members of the flotilla crew were transferred from an Israeli naval vessel to Greek boats on Friday and brought ashore, where buses and an ambulance were waiting.
“Alhamdolillah, I am pleased to share that former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was unlawfully detained by Israeli occupying forces along with other humanitarian workers aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, has been released,” Dar said in a post on X.
He thanked the Hellenic authorities for facilitating Mushtaq’s release at Crete and expressed gratitude to the leadership and government of Turkiye for assisting in his return to Istanbul for onward travel to Pakistan.
“My appreciation for effective response by Foreign Office and our Embassy in Athens,” he said, while reiterating his condemnation of the detention of humanitarian workers aboard the flotilla as well as obstruction of humanitarian aid destined for the people of Gaza.
“Pakistan has been and will continue to extend unequivocal support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” the minister added.
Alhamdolillah, I am pleased to share that former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was unlawfully detained by Israeli occupying forces along with other humanitarian workers aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, has been released.
I thank the Hellenic authorities for facilitating…Confirming his release, Mushtaq said that they were “kidnapped” by Israel’s “terrorist and Zionist” army from international waters, terming the incident a grave violation of international law.
Important message by Senator (r) Mushtaq Ahmad khan after his release.@gbsumudflotilla @thiagoavilabr @SABU_BCN@Pak_PalForum #releasethiago#releasesaif pic.twitter.com/AfIk8a11Se
“The Israeli army kidnapped us from international waters. The entire world should take notice of this. It is a terrorist army, and we demand that international bodies and governments take notice of the kidnapping and torture of a humanitarian aid mission in international waters,” he said.
He added that while he and others had been released and were now in Greece, two members of their group — Thiago and Saif — remained in custody.
“We are in Greece, but two of our members, Thiago and Saif, are still in detention and being kept as hostages,” he said, calling for their immediate release.
The former senator said the movement would continue despite the incident.
“We will continue this flotilla as long as there is a blockade and siege, as long as there is genocide. Until Palestine is free, until the right to self-determination is granted, and until Al-Aqsa, Gaza and Palestine are liberated, we will continue this struggle,” he added.
In a post on their Telegram channel, organisers of the flotilla alleged that activists had been denied adequate food and water and "forced to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded" aboard an Israeli naval vessel, describing their treatment as "40 hours of calculated cruelty".
A source who asked not to be identified said that while 22 boats had been intercepted by Israel, 47 others were still sailing off southern Crete and planned to anchor there at some point before continuing onwards to Gaza. Each ship is carrying about a tonne of food, medical and other equipment, the source said.
The 22 vessels were seized by Israel late on Wednesday in international waters off Greece's Peloponnese peninsula, which is hundreds of miles from Gaza, the flotilla's organisers said. In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department threatened "to impose consequences" against those who support the flotilla, which it cast as pro-Hamas.
Pro-Palestinian activists say Israel and the US wrongly conflate their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for Hamas.