Pakistani journalist and marathon runner Mona Khan, who was detained in Greece, has been granted consular access. The Pakistani embassy officials have reached the jail to meet her.
According to sources from a private TV channel, Dunya News, Mona Khan was arrested in Greece for waving the Pakistani national flag. She had gone to Greece for hiking. Coach Mohammad Yusuf confirmed her detention and mentioned that her phone was also confiscated by the police. He said his last contact with Mona was an hour before her arrest, and she had left her son in Athens.
Mona Khan is an anchorperson at a state TV channel. She had traveled abroad with her son, and an alleged audio conversation of hers surfaced. In the audio tape, she explained that all the hikers had gathered together in Greece, and when she took out the Pakistani flag, the police detained her. She was asked if she intended to wave the Pakistani flag, to which she replied affirmatively. Following her response, the Greek police mistreated her.
Coach Yusuf appealed to the Pakistani government for her release. Subsequently, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch issued a statement saying that the Pakistani embassy had raised the issue of Mona Khan’s arrest with Greek authorities.
Baloch mentioned that the Pakistani embassy in Greece has requested consular access to Mona and is investigating the reasons for her arrest. They are also in contact with her running coach, Malik Yusuf. Sources further reported that Greek authorities have now provided consular access to Mona Khan, and Pakistani embassy officials have reached the jail to meet her.