Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Four of the 10 Pakistani crew members caught up in the hijacking of MV Honour 25 off Somalia have been safely retrieved and are scheduled to reach Karachi tomorrow (Saturday), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
In a post on X, Dar said that the four crew members — Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams and Usman Ghani — were retrieved following efforts by the foreign ministry and Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti.
“The mortal remains of the three Pakistani crew members (Late Rafi Ullah Khan, Late Syed Kashif Umer and Late Mahmood Ahmed Ansari) who tragically lost their lives are being repatriated to Paki-stan,” he added.
Dar extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their lives during the recovery operation of hijacked MT Honour 25.
Puntland’s information ministry said earlier this week that forces had successfully freed the tanker and captured 16 pirates during the rescue operation.
However, before the operation began, the pirates killed five crew members — three Pakistanis, one from Myanmar and one from India.
The Palau-flagged tanker had been seized by pirates on April 21, approximately 30 nautical miles off Puntland’s coast, with 17 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistani nationals.
Meanwhile, Dar said that all necessary legal and other formalities were being fast-tracked to expedite the repatriation process.
He added that three other Pakistani crew members — Imran Ali, Yasin Muhammad and Syed Yousuf Hussain — remain aboard the vessel along with the captain.
“We are actively coordinating with our friendly countries to facilitate their safe extraction and earli-est possible return to Pakistan,” the DPM said.
According to Dar, the foreign ministry, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, re-mains focused on securing the return of all Pakistani nationals involved in the incident, including the bodies of those who died.
He vowed that the ministry would continue providing all possible support to the affected families.
