ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday urged authorities to intensify diplomatic engagement with international partners, including Somali authorities, to secure the safe return of Pakistani hostages being held by Somali pirates.
Ten Pakistani crew members were among 17 sailors aboard the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25, which 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, saying the crew had run out of clean drinking water and were surviving on limited food supplies while in captivity.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said in June that any law enforcement action to secure the release of the hostages is “a bit difficult” as the MT Honour 25 is carrying explosive cargo. Dar chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review Islamabad’s efforts to ensure the safe return of the hostages.
“The DPM/FM directed all relevant stakeholders to maintain close and regular coordination and intensify diplomatic engagement with national and international partners, including the Somali authorities and relevant international organizations, to facilitate the safe release of our citizens,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
He expressed solidarity with families of the hostages, reiterating that the government remains “fully seized” of the situation.
“He expressed the hope that sustained and coordinated engagement would lead to a positive outcome and the safe return of the Pakistani citizens to their families,” the statement added.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson previously said 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.
He said Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Somalia, had remained engaged with Somali authorities and the ship owner, while officials from the embassy had previously visited Mogadishu to obtain first-hand information about the case.
