Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan has condemned Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud flotilla, calling it a “dastardly attack” and demanding the release of detained activists, including former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. The flotilla, carrying aid for Gaza, was boarded by Israeli forces on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement on X, denounced the operation against the 40-vessel convoy that carried over 450 humanitarian workers from 44 countries. “We hope and pray for the safety of all those who have been illegally apprehended and call for their immediate release. Their only crime was carrying aid for the hapless Palestinian people,” he wrote, urging that humanitarian aid be allowed through.
https://x.com/CMShehbaz/status/1973529015890722832
The Foreign Office also condemned the interception, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law” that endangered civilians. “This reprehensible act is part of Israel’s ongoing pattern of aggression and its illegal blockade of Gaza, which has inflicted immense human suffering,” the FO said in a statement. It demanded the “immediate release of all humanitarian workers and activists on board” and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.
https://x.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1973615311657304267
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar described the Israeli action as a “flagrant violation of international law” and called for an immediate ceasefire, lifting of the blockade, and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.
https://x.com/MIshaqDar50/status/1973603802080051252
Among those detained is Jamaat-i-Islami leader and former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was heading the Pakistani delegation aboard the flotilla. Advocacy group Pak-Palestine Forum confirmed his arrest, adding that another Pakistani delegate, Syed Uzair Nizami, was aboard an observer vessel that managed to avoid interception.
Read More: Israel Blocks Gaza Aid Flotilla, Drawing Global Outcry
The flotilla, consisting of 45 vessels and including activists such as Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, departed Spain last month in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where the UN has warned of famine. Organizers said 13 vessels have been intercepted so far, while 30 continue to sail toward Gaza.
