Mona Khan, a journalist and athlete from Pakistan who was detained in Greece this week, was freed from custody on Sunday, she announced. The previous day, the Pakistani Foreign Office had declared that its mission was actively collaborating with Greek authorities about the matter.
According to Khan, she was stopped by Greek authorities at a checkpoint on Friday afternoon while traveling to Mount Olympus with a group of climbers. After they looked through her passport, they detained her and transported her to jail for further inquiry.
The athlete, who is also a host for Pakistan’s state television and ran the Athens marathon the previous year, stated that she wished to wave the Pakistani flag and the Kalima Tayyaba, an Islamic creed written on a piece of cloth that reads, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” on Greece’s highest mountain peak, which is located 433 kilometers from Athens.
A representative for Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, told Arab News on Saturday that the Pakistani mission in Athens was actively negotiating the athlete’s release with Greek officials.
Despite not having broken any laws in her host nation, the Pakistani athlete claimed that her release was “conditional” and that she would not be allowed to return to Greece for five years.
“They detained me as soon as they saw my Pakistani passport and interrogated me when they discovered Kalima Tayyaba in my bag,” Khan claimed. “I have no idea why they arrested me, prevented me from achieving my objective, and then requested that I leave.”
She added that despite having visas, she was made to sign papers promising to return to Pakistan in 20 days and promising not to enter any other European nation.
Khan asserted, “I have a right to know what laws I have broken.” “I was there for a healthy activity, but I was under mental stress from what happened to me.”
When questioned about Khan’s detention and whether Pakistan intended to file a protest with Greek authorities in the event that Khan had broken no local laws, the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Office remained silent. Meanwhile, Greek authorities have not released any statement regarding Khan’s detention.
After meeting up with her son again, who was waiting for her to come back from the mission to wave the Pakistani flag and the Islamic scripture on Mount Olympus, Khan stated, “Jailed for doing nothing and just because of being Pakistani.”
“He requested the video in which I was meant to wave the flag.” I kept him from knowing about my experience and didn’t quell his enthusiasm.
