Pakistan says Somali pirates hold 10 crew for 50 days, urges patience
Pakistan said on Thursday that its nationals have been held captive by Somali pirates for nearly 50 days aboard a cargo ship, describing the situation as operationally challenging despite high-level diplomatic efforts to secure their release.
The MT Honor 25, which includes 10 Pakistani crew members along with seven others from Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, remains in the hands of pirates in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, the foreign office said in a weekly briefing.Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with Somali Foreign Minister Abdus Salaam Ali two days ago, expressing grave concern and urging steps to improve living conditions for all hostages, according to the foreign office.The Somali foreign minister assured our deputy prime minister of his government's continued and sincere efforts to secure the release," a foreign office spokesperson said. "Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination."
Pakistan has called in Somalia's ambassador in Islamabad, sent teams from its embassy in Djibouti to Mogadishu, and held inter-ministerial meetings on the issue, with another in-person meeting scheduled for next week.
The spokesperson acknowledged the complexity of the situation, noting that captives are held in a tribal society where pirates and the ship owner belong to different tribes. "Operationally, it's challenging," he said. "We urge patience."Separately, Pakistan said it helped facilitate direct U.S.-Israel engagement that led to a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Following strong advocacy from Islamabad, a summit-level telephone conversation between Washington and Tel Aviv took place in the early hours of June 2, Pakistan time, resulting in the truce, the foreign office said.
Pakistan's Interior Minister visited Tehran this week, while Dar held talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan late Wednesday, with both sides underscoring the importance of dialogue and restraint.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the country's commitment to "peace and diplomacy," the spokesperson added, saying: "Let us continue to remain on path of peace and diplomacy, which have brighter prospects for success instead of violence and destruction."