In Karachi, police forcefully dispersed a sit-in by families of Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs near FTC on Shahrah-e-Faisal on Sunday. Several protesters, including women, were arrested as authorities dismantled the protest camp.
The police cited security concerns for removing the demonstrators, who had camped outside the ministry’s office since the previous evening. Around ten families, including women and children, participated in the protest, which had continued overnight. Earlier, the families had conducted a peaceful demonstration at Numaish Chowrangi and threatened to start a hunger strike from 10 a.m. Monday if their demands remained unaddressed.
That morning, a large police contingent arrived, clearing the site by confiscating protest materials and detaining multiple participants. The arrested individuals were taken to Tipu Sultan police station, where relatives gathered to call for their immediate release.
The families expressed frustration that over four and a half months had passed since their loved ones were captured by Somali pirates, with little tangible government action to secure their safe return. They had assembled outside the Foreign Office to urge urgent government intervention.
Since April 21, ten Pakistani sailors have been held captive after Somali pirates hijacked the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25 off Puntland’s coast. The vessel’s crew also includes seven Indonesians, one Indian, and one Sri Lankan.
In a significant development, more than three months into the ordeal, negotiations and payment of the approximately $3 million ransom demanded have seen no progress. On August 13, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a government meeting reviewing efforts for the sailors’ release, instructing officials to enhance coordination with Somali authorities and international partners. The Foreign Office reaffirmed its engagement and optimism for a positive resolution.
Throughout their captivity, the hostages have released several distress videos, including one on August 7 pleading for the Pakistani government’s assistance and reporting shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. Earlier communications arranged under pirate supervision, aimed at pressuring families to pay ransom, had ceased by mid-June but resumed with the August appeal.
