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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has engaged a European country to secure the release of a former Pakistani senator, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, from Israel after he was captured from an aid flotilla that was enroute to Gaza, the Pakistani foreign minister said on Friday.

Israeli forces this week intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists from around the world, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and the former Pakistani senator, to the besieged Palestinian territory.

Demonstrators took to the streets from Europe to Australia and South America to condemn the interception of the aid flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona last month to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza where the United Nations reports famine conditions after nearly two years of war.

Pakistan’s foreign office condemned the obstruction of the fleet and said it was working with international partners to secure the release of its citizens, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif applauding their “dignified participation” and calling for their immediate return.

“Of the 45 vessels, they have captured 22 ships and detained all their passengers... According to our information, Senator Mushtaq sahib, who is a former senator from Jamaat e Islami... he is among them,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told parliament on Friday.

“We have engaged a European third country, which is influential, we are using their diplomatic process. We have asked them to contact there (Israel) and have our senator immediately released.”

More than 400 people were aboard the vessels that were part of the flotilla halted by the Israeli navy late Wednesday and prevented from reaching the coastal territory. Several hundred protesters marched outside the Irish parliament on Thursday in Dublin, where support for the Palestinian cause has often been compared to Ireland’s centuries-long struggle against British colonial rule.

Around 15,000 people marched through Barcelona in protest at Israel’s actions, according to the municipal police force in Spain’s second city, chanting slogans including “Gaza, you are not alone,” “Boycott Israel” and “Freedom for Palestine.” Protests were also held in Berlin, The Hague, Tunis, Brasilia and Buenos Aires.

Dar said the European country, which he declined to name, has assured them they would inform about the well-being of ex-senator Khan by Sunday.

“I and the entire foreign ministry is engaged with them and we are trying to have all Pakistanis exited safe and sound and respectfully from there (Israel) as soon as possible,” he said.

Gaza has faced a significant humanitarian crisis since Israel imposed a blockade in March, severely restricting access to food, water and medical supplies. Aid agencies and the UN have warned of mass starvation and rising child malnutrition in the Palestinian enclave, home to around 2 million people, where only a few humanitarian trucks have been allowed in.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail in late August, was transporting medicine and food to Gaza and consisted of more than 40 civilian vessels with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists. It was the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war that has killed over 65,000 Palestinians.

KARACHI: Pakistani security forces have killed seven Pakistani Taliban militants in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Friday.

The militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Sherani district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the deceased, who the ISPR said remained actively involved in “numerous terrorist activities.”

“Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, has been the site of a long-running insurgency that has intensified in recent months, with separatist militants frequently attacking security forces, government officials and installations and people from other provinces.

Apart from separatist outfits, religiously motivated groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and Daesh also maintain presence in the restive southwestern region that is home to major Chinese investments, including a deep seaport as well as gold and copper mines.

The Sherani operation comes days after security forces killed 13 militants in two separate operations in the province, Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said, blaming what he called “Indian-sponsored terrorists” for unrest in the region.

In recent months, Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil and India of backing militant groups for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi both deny the allegation.