Pakistani crew held by Somali pirates complete 50 days in captivity

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani crew members being held by Somali pirates aboard a hijacked vessel have completed 50 days in captivity, according to a newly released video in which the hostages appealed to the governments of Pakistan and Indonesia to help secure their release.

The video shows the crew standing on the ship's deck with the sea behind them as they describe worsening conditions and growing uncertainty about what lies ahead. The hostages said they were trying to survive in extremely harsh circumstances and were subsisting largely on plain rice. They also said they had to repeatedly ask the pirates for food and were being given only limited access to clean drinking water.

One of the hostages described the security situation on board as unstable and alarming.

“Our lives are in constant danger, and we hear gunfire almost daily around us”, he stated.

The crew also voiced concern over what they said was a lack of progress in efforts to secure their freedom. According to the hostages, the shipping company has not entered into direct negotiations with the pirates and has instead handed responsibility for talks to a third party identified as Usman.

The crew said the company claims that Usman is the owner of both the vessel and the company. However, they said the Somali pirates have refused to negotiate with him and are demanding direct talks with the company's authorised representatives instead.

According to the hostages, this impasse has further aggravated conditions aboard the vessel and increased pressure on those being held. They said that despite repeated appeals, no formal negotiation process has yet begun between the pirates and the company's direct representatives.