JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman omits mentioning Mushtaq Ahmed in Gaza rally speeches

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan reviewed Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman’s full speeches.

Posts from multiple PTI supporters on social media platform X since October 5, 2025, shared a video claiming that JI chief Rehman did not mention former senator Mushtaq Ahmed in his speeches during protests held in solidarity with Gaza. However, Rehman did refer to Ahmed in his speeches.

The Global Sumud Flotilla left Spain in September 2025 with activists and politicians on board to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine. The flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli navy on Oct 2, with commandos boarding the boats and arresting participants. Ahmed was also on board and is currently in Israeli custody.

His detention drew widespread condemnation in Pakistan, with political and religious leaders calling it an attack on peaceful solidarity efforts for Palestine.

In reaction, Rehman led large pro-Gaza demonstrations in Lahore and Karachi on Oct 4 and 5. He urged the Pakistani government to adopt a stronger diplomatic stance and reaffirm the nation’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people.

HOW IT STARTED

On Oct 5, a user, who appears to be a PTI supporter based upon his previous posts, shared a video of Rehman addressing a Gaza march, with the following caption: “I listened to Naeemur Rahman’s 30-minute speech last night. He heavily criticised Imran Khan regarding Israel, but didn’t mention Senator Mushtaq’s name even once. Curses be upon those who rejuvenate by selling the name of Islam.”

The post gained 152,900 views, 3,500 reshares and 9,700 likes.

The same video with a similar claim was also shared on X by PTI leader and former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri.

The post was captioned: “O hypocrisy, your very refuge, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, in his 30-minute speech, harshly criticised Imran Khan, imprisoned in a death cell, regarding Israel in exact accordance with the military script, but did not mention the name of his own Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, held in Israel’s captivity, even once.”

The post received 197,400 views, 4,900 reposts and 12,000 likes.

Suri also shared the claim on his Facebook account, where the post was liked 6,400 times.

The same video with a similar claim was also shared by different PTI supporters on X as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively gaining over 75,000 views.

The same claim was also shared on Facebook, as can be seen here, here, here and here.

The same claims were subsequently repeated about Rehman’s speech during a Gaza rally in Karachi on Oct 5 as can be seen on X here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively gaining over 54,000 views, and on Facebook here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the Samud Flotilla and the former senator’s arrest.

A reverse image search yielded the full live stream of Rehman’s address during the Gaza March in Lahore on Oct 4, uploaded by Capital TV on its YouTube channel the same day, titled: “LIVE: Gaza March | Senator Mushtaq Ahmd’s Arrest | Jamaat-e-Islami’s Hafiz Naeemur Rehman Speech”.

Reviewing the complete speech showed that Rehman did mention Ahmed in his address.

The following is a transcript from the video between the 1:31-2:42 mark:

“And right now we are seeing that there have been protests in Europe, there are protests in Spain, there will be a march in Karachi tomorrow, and the streets of Lahore are also filled. There have been protests all across Pakistan, and Alhamdulillah, everyone stands with those people, with those workers, who have taken part in this Sumud Global Flotilla. From Pakistan, senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, who at this time is in a way imprisoned by Israel.

We want to tell the government that if you cannot talk directly to Israel — and we don’t even want that — but your Trump sahab is there, your other countries are there, other Muslim countries are there, and there are many means available. Use the United Nations as a channel, and by any means, secure the release of these prisoners. This is not a matter of Jamaat-i-Islami, this is not an issue of a former senator of Jamaat-i-Islami; this is a matter of Pakistan, a matter of the ummah, in fact, a matter of humanity. Therefore, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan should be freed immediately, and along with him, all those who are part of the Global Flotilla and are in Israeli custody should also be released.”

As evident from the transcript, Rehman did demand Ahmed’s release and prominently mentioned him.

Similarly, conducting a keyword search yielded a video of Rehman’s speech at the Oct 5 Gaza march in Karachi on Capital TV‘s YouTube channel.

He can be heard saying at the 00:27-minute mark: “That the Sumud Flotilla — the Global Sumud Flotilla — which has been seized by Israel, is something we do not accept, and we are talking about the release of the detainees. From Pakistan, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan is among them.”

It can be clearly seen that the JI chief prominently mentioned Ahmed in his speeches at both Gaza rallies.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman did not mention former senator Mushtaq Ahmed in his speech during recent Gaza rallies is false.

Rehman did mention Ahmed in his speeches and called for his release.

Evidence and References

Oct 4, 2025, Capital TV YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRcZacK_c70