Families protest in Karachi over Pakistanis held by Somali pirates

KARACHI: Family members of 10 Pakistani citizens being held by Somali pirates staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club, urging the government to intensify diplomatic efforts for their recovery.

The demonstration was organised by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and drew a large number of relatives of the abducted men. Protesters said the Pakistanis had been in pirate custody for the past two months and called on the state to fulfil its responsibility to protect its citizens by acting without further delay.

Demands for stronger government response

Speaking at the protest, acting JI Karachi emir Saifuddin Advocate urged the government to treat the matter with seriousness and step up efforts at the diplomatic level. He said JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman had also called for the immediate release of the abducted Pakistanis and added that the party would continue pursuing the issue.

A resolution adopted at the end of the protest called on the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant institutions to immediately expand contacts with the Somali government, international organisations and other concerned parties. It also sought the formation of a special task force for the hostages’ release and demanded that affected families be kept regularly informed of progress.

Vessel hijacked near Puntland

The vessel, carrying 17 crew members including 10 Pakistanis, was hijacked on April 21 near Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. The protest came days after a fresh video surfaced showing Pakistani crew members aboard the hijacked vessel, MT Honour 25, appealing for urgent intervention by the Pakistani authorities.

In the video, the ship’s second officer, Syed Kashif Umar, said the 10 Pakistani crew members had been held by Somali pirates for 57 days and appealed to the government to secure their immediate release. He said food supplies were scarce, some crew members had fallen ill, and the vessel’s owners were not willing to negotiate with the pirates. The ship’s Indonesian captain also appealed to his government to help secure the crew’s freedom.

Official position and ongoing negotiations

The Foreign Office said last week that the government remained committed to securing the release of Pakistani nationals held by Somali pirates for nearly two months.

Diplomatic sources said the vessel remains anchored off the Somali coast while negotiations with the pirates continue. According to the sources, the Somali government is in contact with the pirates through the owner of Honour 25 in an effort to obtain the hostages’ release.

The same sources said the pirates had initially demanded a ransom of $10 million, but later lowered it to $4 million. However, the negotiations have so far not resulted in a breakthrough.