ISLAMABAD: The pirate attack in the ocean near Somalia has resulted in the kidnapping of ten Pakistanis on board the ship which has been hijacked by the pirates since last two weeks when their family members have been struggling in Karachi without receiving any news about them under the worsening conditions in the ship. MV Honor 25, a ship which is property of Palau, has been taken control by the pirates since April 21st. MV Honor 25 has 18,000 barrels of oil in its possession. MV Honor 25, which is a ship that belongs to Palau , has been taken control by the pirates since April 21st.
There are six pirates at the beginning of the crime story who perform the crime aboard the ship. But some more pirates have been called for their support, and hence there are eleven pirates now in total. The specific ship is docked within proximity of the Eyl port in the region of Puntland. On the 25th of April, two ships were sent in by the EU Operation Atalanta. As of yet there hasn’t been any reported comeback on that.
A father who the son never saw before in person.
Ameen bin Shams, aged 29, signed on with the MT Honour 25 on December 9. This is the first time he has been signed into the Merchant Navy, having worked in a Karachi shipyard for many years.The baby boy Rahim, who was born on December 24, is just four months old and has not seen his father’s face other than through the screen.
After two days when the pirates took control of his ship in the vicinity of the Somali coast, he contacted his wife, Ayesha. He talked in a very fearful tone and informed her that their ship was hijacked by some pirates. He went on to express his deep love for his family and hoped she would give it to their children. It was a crying call from him.A second occurred one week later and lasted only three minutes using a borrowed cell phone.
Mehmood Ahmed Ansari, fifty-five years of age, has been sailing for thirty years now. Mehmood shared news about his being held hostage with his twenty-three-year-old son, Muzammil, via voice mail three days after the hijacking occurred. You should contact the organization, people, government, Ansari suggested. They did it all. Days have lost their shape for them. “It is like being in limbo,” says Muzammil to Al Jazeera.
MT Honour 25’s circumstances are worsening
The pirate attacks on the Somali coast have forced the crew of the MV Honour 25 to live in such circumstances that their families and the Ansar Burney Trust of Karachi, which claims to be in touch with the pirates, believe are worsening at an alarming rate. The food and water supply have been exhausted. The fuel tank has almost emptied. Several seamen have exhausted their medicines. In a video recorded on April 28, 12 people were seen squeezed in one room with no place for sleep.
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The pirates have instructed their captives to contact their governments. No ransom demand has been made by either government. There is no central contact person who will keep the family informed. There is no committee that has been formed by the government.
Pakistan’s reaction: A silver lining no one wanted to see
According to Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi, speaking at an international press conference held on April 30, Pakistan is contacting Somali Foreign Ministry which had offered assurances that the situation was under observation through written statements. “A silver lining of sorts” according to him is that the owner of the vessel is from Puntland.
These families met at the Karachi Press Club carrying pictures of their missing loved ones, accompanied by their children, and asked a very straightforward question — where is the silver lining turned into a rescue operation? There were efforts by the Al Jazeera team to get in touch with the Foreign and Information Ministries in Pakistan, but they were not successful in getting any response.
The piracy in the waters of Somalia has been an established security concern worldwide for more than twenty years. It has attracted the attention of international naval forces, United Nations resolutions, and huge financial investments in counter-piracy measures. Ten Pakistani sailors are living proof that none of it has been enough.
