ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will discuss the issue of ten Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates aboard a Palau-flagged oil tanker, MT Honour 25, during his visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Aug. 24-28, the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday.
These Pakistani crew members were among 17 sailors aboard the Palau-flagged oil tanker, when it was seized by pirates off Somalia’s Puntland region on April 21. Families of the Pakistani hostages have urged the government to intensify efforts to ensure the safe return of the sailors.
Foreign Minister Dar this month urged Pakistani authorities to intensify diplomatic engagement with international partners, including Somali authorities, to secure the safe return of these Pakistani hostages.
“Foreign Minister will hold meetings with the UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, and the FCDO Minister of State for Pakistan, Stephen Doughty, as well as with other senior members of the UK Government,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“He will also meet with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization to discuss the issue of Pakistani crew members held by Somali pirates aboard the MT Honour 25 oil tanker, in addition to a meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.”
A Pakistani foreign office spokesperson previously said that Islamabad had urged the Somali government and the owner of the ship to ensure that food, drinking water and other basic necessities continue to be supplied to the hostages while negotiations remained underway.
During the visit, Foreign Minister Dar will also engage with British parliamentarians and representatives of the British Pakistani community.
Pakistan and the UK maintain close cooperation across a range of areas, including trade, security, counterterrorism, climate action and migration.
In June, UK’s Minister for Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan Hamish Falconer committed an additional £8 million to support joint Pakistan-UK efforts to combat crime and illegal migration, the British government said.
