Families of 10 Pakistani sailors held by Somali pirates for nearly 140 days were met by police intervention Monday after officers briefly detained seven people at their protest camp outside the Foreign Ministry office in Karachi. (AN Photo)
KARACHI: The families and supporters had spent Sunday night on Karachi’s Shahrah-e-Faisal demanding answers about efforts to free the sailors, who are among 17 crew members aboard the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25.
- Advertisement -
Pirates seized the vessel off Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland State region on April 21, as maritime security officials report a sharp resurgence in piracy around Somalia and the Gulf of Aden following years of relative calm.
The International Maritime Organization said last month that six vessels and more than 90 seafarers were being held by pirates and armed robbers in the region.
Naseem Khan, station house officer at Tipu Sultan Police Station, told Arab News that police detained seven protesters and later released them. He said they had used loudspeakers without permission from police or the local administration and declined repeated requests to disperse, despite negotiations that continued through the night.
“We tried to negotiate with them throughout the night, but they did not listen to us,” Khan told Arab News. “We have now released them with a warning that if they want to protest, they should first obtain an NOC.”
A no-objection certificate, or NOC, is an official authorization commonly required by Pakistani authorities for public gatherings and demonstrations.
Khan said police were maintaining heightened vigilance in Karachi because of political activity and broader security concerns.
“We did not disturb anyone. We were peaceful, but the police detained us,” Ameen told Arab News after her release.
Mahwish Yasir, whose husband Yasir Khan is among the captive sailors, attended the protest but was not detained. Speaking outside Tipu Sultan Police Station, she confirmed that the others had been released.
Yasir said the protesters had returned home and that the families would consult one another before deciding what to do next. A representative leading the campaign remained at the police station to discuss the situation, she said.
The families had also demonstrated in Karachi’s Numaish area over the weekend. They said they had not spoken to the sailors for around a month and a half and warned that they could begin a hunger strike if authorities continued to provide no clear account of progress toward the crew’s release.
Advocate Qurratulain Muhammad Anis, executive director of Ansar Burney Trust International and legal adviser to the families, said there had been recent movement in negotiations and urged them to pause further protests and any hunger strike plans.
“It is not that there is no response from the government. We are their legal representatives, and they are in contact with us,” Anis told Arab News.
She said the trust had made contact with the ship two days earlier and that the pirates had lowered their demands. Anis did not disclose what the demands were or how they had changed.
The families had been advised to keep public attention focused on the sailors’ captivity, including through social media, while temporarily refraining from street protests and a hunger strike.
“The government is aware of this matter and is discussing it,” Anis said. “Plans have been made, the planning is complete. And the government also wants to move toward implementation. So, please wait a little bit for that.”
MT Honour 25 was one of several ships seized during a renewed piracy wave around the Horn of Africa this year. The European Union’s Operation Atalanta, which carries out counter-piracy operations in the western Indian Ocean, said the tanker remained in Somali territorial waters, restricting the options available to international naval forces.
In July, the IMO said crews aboard three vessels then being held, including Honour 25, faced dwindling supplies of food and water as well as the threat of violence.
Pakistan says it is pursuing diplomatic and humanitarian channels to secure the sailors’ release.
The Foreign Office said in June that Somali authorities and the vessel’s owner were negotiating with the pirates and relevant tribes. Islamabad was also seeking assistance from friendly countries and other interlocutors.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez in London last month and called for “urgent and effective institutional intervention” to bring the sailors home.
Dar has said Pakistan is bound by international maritime principles not to pay ransom to pirates. He also said Islamabad and the IMO had developed a strategy to address the hostage crisis, but officials have not publicly disclosed its details.
Pakistan has said it is working to ensure the captive crew continues to receive food, drinking water and other necessities while efforts to secure their release proceed.
