Ansar Burney Trust says raiders shared photos of 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis
KARACHI:
The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust has established direct contact with Somali pirates who seized the Honor 25 tanker, in a bid to secure the release of the kidnapped crew members. However, the pirates insist they will only present their demands to Pakistani government officials.
The pirates also recently sent photographs of the 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistani citizens, held hostage. The Honor 25 was recaptured by Somali pirates on April 21, and for the past two weeks, the families of the kidnapped Pakistani crew members have been deeply worried about their loved ones.
Ansar Burney, director of the trust, said that although contact with the pirates has been successfully established, no practical steps have yet been taken by the government.
Qurat-ul-Ain Advocate, director of the Ansar Burney Trust, said the hackers clearly stated that they would present their demands only to a representative of the government of Pakistan. However, she added that the government did not even respond to an email sent by the hackers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She said the pirates also contacted the governments of Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, as seven crew members from those countries were also held captive on the ship.
Meanwhile, the federal government said it was in contact with relevant parties to secure the release of the Pakistani hostages.
Eighty-year-old Umar Farooq is fighting for his son’s safe release. “I was forced to go from place to place in distress at that age,” he said. His son, Kashif Umar, is among those detained on the ship.
Ali Akbar, the brother of another hostage, Imran Ali, called on the government to take immediate action so that the Pakistani captives could return home safely. He said the latest photographs of the hostages have brought some relief because they confirm they are still alive.
The families of the hostages gathered at the Ansar Burney Trust office and collectively demanded that the government form at least a committee to keep them informed about the efforts being made for the release of the Pakistani captives. They said they did not know where to turn or who to turn to for help in securing the release of their loved ones.
