HRCP 'deeply alarmed' at continued captivity of seafarers onboard tanker seized by Somali pirates

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday expressed alarm at the continued captivity of Pakistanis aboard an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates, demanding urgent action by the government and the relevant authorities.

The MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged product tanker, was seized on April 21, approximately 30 nautical miles off Somalia’s Puntland region with 17 crew members aboard, 10 of them Pakistani.

In a post on X, the HRCP said that it was “deeply alarmed by the continued captivity of the Pakistan crew members aboard the MT Honour 25 by Somali pirates and demands urgent action by the Pakistan government and all relevant international authorities”.

The commission also expressed concern at reports over the living conditions of the hostages.

“Reports that hostages are surviving on contaminated water and minimal food while their families endure severe psychological distress are unacceptable,” HRCP said.

The human rights body stated that it stood in solidarity with “the families in Karachi protesting for the safe return of their loved ones,” referring to a protest held near Karachi’s Native Jetty Bridge a day earlier.

It demanded that the seafarers’ “protection, dignity and safety” must be treated as an “urgent national priority”.

On April 30, the Foreign Office had said that Pakistan was in contact with the Somali government over the hostage crisis involving Pakistani sailors.

FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, addressing a press briefing, said, “Our Embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Somalia, approached the authorities in Somalia, including their foreign office, and we learned that the vessel was anchored in the coast of EYL in the Puntland region”.

He further stated that the Puntland region was a semi-autonomous part of Somalia.

“We consider it as part of the brotherly nation of Somalia. MT Honor 25, we understand, is owned by a businessman who is based in Puntland. So, I think the positive side of this story or the silver lining is that the ship is where it belongs to,” he said.

Hijackings off Somalia have fuelled concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates. Pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 — with gunmen launching attacks as far as 3,655kilometres from the Somali coast.