KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The family of a Pakistani sailor seized by Somali pirates is grief-stricken and yearns for his return, as the government says it is in contact with Somali authorities to ensure the safe return of Pakistani nationals.
Twelve-year-old Syeda Masooma Batool has stopped going to school after a pirate attack on an oil tanker off Somalia last week left her father, among those held hostage, as anxiety grips her family in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.
The MT Honour 25 was seized on Apr. 21 in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, with Batool’s father, Syed Hussain Yousaf, among at least 11 Pakistani crew members taken captive along with the vessel’s Indonesian captain.
Since losing contact with Yousaf, his wife and three children say they have received no confirmed updates about his condition, while urgently appealing to the government to secure his safe return.
“We feel very worried and don’t know what will happen,” Batool said. “I am not even going to school.”
Picture taken on April 29, 2026, shows the daughter and son of Pakistani sailor Syed Hussain Yousaf looking at his photo on a mobile phone in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN Photo)
“Today I made an exception and went to school,” the sixth-grade student added. “Even there, my friends were asking when my father would return, but I didn’t have an answer to give.”
The government says it is using diplomatic channels to secure the release of its nationals, with the foreign affairs ministry in contact with Somali officials.
“Pakistani government is in contact with Somali maritime authorities, Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the release of Pakistani crew members aboard the hijacked oil tanker,” foreign affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told Arab News.
“The government is also in contact with the private company that owns the oil tanker,” he added, saying Somali officials had assured Pakistan that efforts were underway to secure the sailors’ release.
But for Batool’s family, those assurances have done little to ease the uncertainty, particularly as they remain unclear about the pirates’ demands.
Batool’s mother, Amreen Yousaf, said she had her last proper conversation with her husband on the day the oil tanker was taken.
“I last spoke to him on Apr. 21,” she said. “After that, we lost contact for two days. Then we got information from another family that his ship had been hijacked.”
File picture of Pakistani sailor Syed Hussain Yousaf provided by his family in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 29, 2026. (AN Photo)
“My heart will only find peace when I get some response from there [Somalia],” she added. “I need a lot of support. Because, right now, my children and I are going through a lot of difficulties. And I don’t know how my husband is doing there.”
She said she spoke to him briefly after the oil tanker was hijacked, adding that his condition appeared worrying.
“He told me that the food and drink that had been rationed [on the vessel] had finished,” she said.
Amreen said her husband had mentioned that the pirates had “some demands,” but did not specify what they were.
The lack of clarity has deepened the family’s distress, with relatives also urging authorities to establish clearer communication channels.
“We wanted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to form a committee on this and appoint a focal person who can coordinate with the families,” said Syed Talib Raza, Yousaf’s nephew. “It should not be that families are running from pillar to post.”
“Until now, that focal person has not been appointed,” he added. “There is no official contact with the families, which would have allowed us to call that focal person once a week and ask what has happened.”
The picture provided by Yousaf’s family shows Pakistani sailors posing before going aboard the vessel. (AN photo)
Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs said it had intensified diplomatic efforts, including writing to Somalia’s ambassador to Pakistan.
“There is deep concern over the safety of Pakistani maritime crew,” Muhammad Arshad, the ministry’s spokesman, said.
He said Somali authorities were monitoring the situation and had shared information about the vessel with their security agencies.
“All new developments regarding the ship and crew will be immediately shared with Pakistan,” he said.
Back at Yousaf’s residence, none of these measures look adequate. Batool sits with her siblings, trying to distract herself by scribbling something in her school notebook.
Asked about her father, she folded her little hands and made a final appeal.
“I am begging you to bring my father back safely,” she said.
