RAWALPINDI: Former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad reached Islamabad on Thursday from Amman via a private airline after his release from the Israeli custody.

He was wearing a keffiyeh and was accorded a hero’s welcome with people showering him with rose petals and adorning garlands on him.

Mr Khan was arrested by Israeli forces while aboard the Gaza aid Global Sumud Flotilla last week.

A number of citizens, holding Pakistani and Palestinian flags, reached Islamabad International Airport to welcome the former lawmaker.

Speaking to the media, he said it had been over two years since the mass killing of Muslims in Palestine began.

He said thousands of children in Gaza had been left disabled and orphaned, and that he and others spent 30 days and 30 nights at sea throughout their journey.

He underlined the need for Muslim countries to unite and discuss the situation in Palestine, describing the ongoing genocide as height of brutality during the last two years.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2025