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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday the government was closely monitoring developments related to the Gaza aid flotilla, adding that it was using diplomatic channels to secure the safe return of its nationals, including a Pakistani politician in Israel’s detention.

The flotilla, intercepted by Israeli forces earlier this week, had set sail in late August and was carrying medicine and food to the Palestinian enclave. It comprised more than 40 civilian vessels and around 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who were all detained as they attempted to breach Gaza’s humanitarian blockade.

Israel’s siege began in March and has led to widespread starvation and child malnutrition.

Media reports said earlier in the day the Israeli government had started deporting the detained activists after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed visiting the site where they were being held, accusing them of supporting “terrorism.”

“Pakistan Foreign Office has been closely following the situation concerning the Sumud Flotilla and taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of our nationals,” Dar said in a post on social media. “According to our latest feedback, only former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan remains in Israeli detention.”

He said that over the past 36 hours, Pakistan had been actively engaged in diplomatic outreach, including through friendly countries, to ensure the safety and early return of all its nationals.

Dar reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of Israel’s interception of the flotilla in international waters while en route to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and called for the immediate release of all detainees.

PM CALLS JI CHIEF

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone with the leader of ex-senator Khan’s party to discuss the Middle East situation and the flotilla case.

“Pakistan has always raised its voice for our Palestinian brothers and sisters at every international forum and will continue to do so,” Sharif told Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, according to a statement released by his office.

“The government is playing an active role to ensure the safe return of all Pakistanis detained from the Global Sumud Flotilla, especially former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, through engagement with friendly countries and international organizations,” he added.

Sharif also emphasized the urgency of a ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated Pakistan’s long-standing position in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has always spoken in favor of the Palestinian right to self-determination.

Last month, the UN envoys of the two countries exchanged sharp words at a Security Council session following Israel’s airstrike in Doha, which Pakistan opposed.

Israel also maintains close ties with Pakistan’s archrival India, whose military used Israeli drones during the four-day military conflict with Pakistan, the only Muslim-majority nation with nuclear weapons.

ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority on Friday issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s high commission in London said, clearing the final administrative hurdle for the carrier to resume flights to Britain this month.

Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly half a decade after grounding them following a 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The disaster was followed by claims of irregularities in pilot licensing, which led to bans in both the UK and the European Union.

A PIA spokesperson had earlier announced plans to restart direct flights to Britain in October after securing international safety and security approvals, signaling a return to one of its most important markets while awaiting the UK permit.

“The Wait Is Over,” the Pakistan High Commission in London exclaimed in a post on social media.

“High Commissioner @DrMFaisal is grateful to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK @UK_CAA for issuing the Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP) today, the final document enabling commercial flights between the UK and Pakistan,” it added.

PIA has already received Third-Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in Britain and will initially relaunch flights to Manchester, with Birmingham and London to follow in later phases.

The airline’s return is expected to ease travel for the Pakistani diaspora, strengthen trade links and boost revenues.

Britain is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral commerce worth about £4.7 billion ($5.7 billion) annually.

The Pakistan government, which has repeatedly bailed out the loss-making carrier, is pushing ahead with its privatization as part of a broader plan to reduce losses at state-owned firms under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.

PIA has accumulated more than $2.5 billion in losses over roughly a decade, draining public finances.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted its suspension in November 2024, allowing the airline to resume flights to Paris in January and later expand to Lahore–Paris in June.

However, PIA suspended those services in recent months to prioritize resources for the UK relaunch.