KARACHI — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday assured Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman that his government was making every possible effort to ensure the safe release of Pakistani citizens detained by Israeli forces, including former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan.
The assurance came during a phone call between the two leaders, a day after reports emerged that the Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying pro-Palestinian activists, had been intercepted by Israeli authorities.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz Sharif said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had been tasked with leading the diplomatic efforts, which involve engaging with friendly countries and international organisations to secure the detainees’ freedom.
The conversation also touched upon the escalating Middle East conflict. The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s consistent position on Palestine, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of an independent Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
Later, Hafiz Naeem shared details of the exchange on X (formerly Twitter), noting that he had conveyed his party’s strong reservations regarding the proposed Gaza peace plan. “I expressed, on behalf of Jamaat-i-Islami as well as the entire nation, serious concerns over Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan,” he wrote, adding that Pakistan must not support any initiative that would further entrench Israel’s occupation.
