The Foreign Office on Thursday said the government remained committed to securing the release of Pakistani nationals held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly two months, while acknowledging the challenges involved in negotiating their freedom.
The MT Honour 25, carrying 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis, was hijacked near Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on April 21. Families of the hostages have since expressed growing concern over the deteriorating conditions aboard the vessel.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said that despite sustained efforts, the crew members had remained in captivity for around 50 days.
“We have made earnest efforts and those efforts continue,” he said, adding that Pakistan was in contact with Somali authorities, the shipowner and tribal stakeholders in Puntland to facilitate the crew’s early release.
Andrabi said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had recently spoken with Abdul Salam Ali to discuss the situation.
According to the spokesperson, Dar conveyed Pakistan’s grave concern over the continued detention of the crew and stressed the need for their immediate release and safe repatriation. He also called for improved living conditions for all 17 crew members, including nationals of Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
The Somali foreign minister assured Pakistan of his government’s continued efforts to secure the hostages’ release, while both sides agreed to maintain close coordination until the matter was resolved.
Andrabi said Pakistan had undertaken several measures to address the issue. In addition to Dar’s engagement with his Somali counterpart, Somalia’s ambassador in Islamabad was summoned for discussions with Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch on possible avenues for securing the hostages’ freedom.
He added that Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Mogadishu, had dispatched teams to Somalia to engage with relevant authorities and stakeholders. The government has also been holding inter-ministerial and inter-departmental consultations, with another high-level meeting scheduled at the Foreign Office next week.
Describing the situation as operationally complex, Andrabi noted that the hostages were being held in Puntland, where tribal dynamics played a significant role in negotiations.
“The pirates and the shipowner belong to different tribes, which adds to the complexity of the discussions,” he said, urging patience while expressing sympathy for the affected families.
He reiterated that the matter remained a high priority for the government and that efforts to secure the crew’s safe release would continue
