No Contact With Mushtaq Ahmed After Flotilla Interception: Family

News Desk

Islamabad: The family of former Senator Mushtaq Ahmed has voiced serious concern over his whereabouts after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla late Thursday.

Ahmed, who was leading the Pakistani delegation, has reportedly been detained, but his family says they have had no direct contact with him since last night.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Ahmed’s wife said repeated efforts to reach out to government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, had gone unanswered. “There has been no official communication regarding his situation. We also filed a petition in the High Court, but objections were raised which delayed progress,” she said.

She confirmed that flotilla organisers have engaged legal assistance and are in coordination with international lawyers. According to her, Ahmed’s phone had been jammed, and he only managed a brief call to his family using another passenger’s device.

“In that call, he told us he was being taken into custody. The line was cut immediately, and since then there has been no communication,” she added.

Earlier, the ‘Pak-Palestine Forum’ announced on its official X account that Ahmed had been arrested by Israeli forces along with dozens of other activists. The group confirmed he was leading Pakistan’s delegation aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of around 45 vessels carrying humanitarian aid, politicians, and international activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The flotilla, which departed from Spain last month, aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. The United Nations has repeatedly warned of an escalating humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory, with famine looming.

Israeli naval forces intercepted several vessels in the convoy after warning them against entering what it described as restricted waters. Thunberg’s ship was also among those stopped.

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