ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office said on Tuesday Somalia’s foreign minister had informed Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar that efforts were underway to secure the release of 10 Pakistani sailors being held by pirates aboard a hijacked oil tanker off the Horn of Africa.
The Pakistani crew members are among 17 sailors aboard the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25, which was hijacked off Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on April 21. The incident has drawn growing concern in Pakistan, where families of the hostages say conditions aboard the vessel have deteriorated during their captivity.
Dar discussed the matter in a telephone call with Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
“FM Abdisalam Ali assured him of his government’s continued and sincere efforts to secure the hostages’ release at the earliest opportunity,” the foreign office said in a statement, adding that Dar conveyed Pakistan’s “grave concern” over the situation and stressed the need to ensure the well-being, early release and safe return of the sailors.
“Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination until the matter is resolved.”
The call comes amid mounting concern among relatives of the Pakistani crew members, who have appealed to the government for assistance. Families have said the sailors have run out of clean drinking water and are surviving on limited food supplies while negotiations over their release continue.
Pakistan has remained engaged with Somali authorities since the hijacking. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said last week Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Somalia, had maintained contact with Somali officials and the vessel’s owner. Pakistani diplomats also traveled to Mogadishu to obtain first-hand information about the case.
According to the foreign office, Pakistan has urged both Somali authorities and the ship owner to ensure the continued provision of food, drinking water and other basic necessities to the crew while efforts to secure their release continue.
The hijacking highlights renewed concerns about piracy in waters off Somalia, which lie along one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Somali pirate attacks, once a major threat to international shipping in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean, declined sharply over the past decade following international naval patrols and stronger onboard security measures.
However, maritime security analysts have reported a resurgence of piracy incidents in the region in recent years, raising concerns for commercial vessels operating along key global shipping lanes.
The MT Honour 25 was seized near Puntland, a region on Somalia’s northeastern coast that has historically been associated with pirate activity. Negotiations involving ship owners, local authorities and intermediaries are often required to secure the release of hijacked vessels and their crews.
