Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry held a telephone call with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday regarding the release of Pakistani seamen taken hostage by Somali pirates, a statement by Chaudhry’s ministry said.
The seamen were taken hostage more than a month ago when armed pirates hijacked the MT Honour 25 off the southeastern coast of Somalia on April 21. There were 11 Pakistanis among the vessel’s crew, who remain in the pirates’ captivity.
A statement by the Maritime Affairs Ministry said that Chaudhry had called Dar and also contacted Pakistan’s envoy in Somalia on the matter.
“Need to expedite efforts for the fast and safe release of the Pakistani crew was stressed,” the statement read.
It quoted Chaudhry as saying that soon after receiving information about the incident in April, efforts for the crew’s release were initiated.
“We remain in touch with the Pakistan foreign ministry and the Somalian embassy,” he said, adding that the government was making efforts for the safe return of the seamen.
Last week, the Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi had said that Islamabad remained “actively engaged” in efforts to secure the release of the seafarers.
“Unfortunately, the situation remains grave,” Andrabi acknowledged when asked about the latest update on the situation during a weekly FO briefing.
“Pakistan remains in contact with the ship owner, who is the principal negotiator with the pirates. These negotiations have been taking place with the knowledge of the Somali government,” the FO spokesperson stated.
He explained that the “geographical circumstances, coupled with the fact that the ship is carrying highly explosive cargo, make any law-enforcement operation to secure the release of the captives extremely difficult”, as Pakistan did not want to endanger the safety of the captives.
The FO urged both the Somali government and the ship owner to ensure that the hostages were provided with food, drinking water, and other necessities.
Hijackings off Somalia have fuelled concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates. Pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 – with gunmen launching attacks as far as 3,655 kilometres from the Somali coast.