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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar directed “stakeholders” on Thursday to maintain close and regular coordination and intensify diplomatic engagement with national and international partners to facilitate the release of 10 Pakistani sailors who have been held hostage by Somali pirates since April.
The sailors were among the crew of the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker that was hijacked by armed pirates off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, on April 21. Besides the 10 Pakistani crew members, the hostages also include seven Indonesians, including the captain, as well as an Indian and a Sri Lankan.
During more than three months of their captivity, there has been no progress either in negotiations or the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for their recovery.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (FO) has been saying that efforts continue for their release and return.
