KARACHI: It has been almost two months since the 10 Pakistani sailors aboard MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, were taken hostage for ransom.
Throughout this time their families have been running from pillar to post to get them back home but they have only run into walls. The biggest and strongest of the walls, according to them, is their own Pakistani government, which has made the least effort to lessen their plight.
“The pirates are demanding ransom but the Pakistani government has refused to negotiate with the Somali pirates. It can only deal with the company that owns the tanker, which is to negotiate with the pirates. But it turns out that the company claiming to own the tanker initially is some third party. The actual owners are not coming forward,” Ayesha Ameen, wife of Ameen Bin Shams, a fitter on the ship, told Dawn.
Ayesha was protesting outside the Karachi Press Club on Friday with her family. There was her six-month-old son Rahim Ameen and three-year-old daughter Zimal Ameen with her, along with her mother and father-in-law.
The protest, attended by many families of the hostages, was called by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).
“We are constantly being told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that this is an international issue. The ship is also anchored in a no-go area and not in international waters,” Ayesha informed.
She said that her family was extremely worried about her husband. “It was his very first time on such an assignment and to get this job he had even paid $500 initially as a guarantee amount,” shared Ayesha.
She also said that new videos show the men are not doing well health-wise. “Third Engineer Mahmood Ahmed Ansari and Second Officer Syed Kashif Umer Naqvi are diabetic. The rest are also catching infections as they grow weaker by the day. Please pray for them,” she urged.
Since its hijack, the crew has made several emotional videos and audio appeals, while reporting that they have run out of clean water, food and medicine.
Ubaidullah, younger brother of Rafiullah, an oiler on the ship, also said that the men were becoming weak because they were not getting proper food even. “There were food provisions for one month on the ship but it has been 60 days since they have been hijacked. Food is bought from the ports but the crew is taken hostage. They can’t get food. They are being fed plain boiled rice for over a month now by the pirates.”
Ali Akbar, older brother of another oiler, Imran Ali, was there with his mother Hamida and his brother’s daughters, six-year-old Ayesha Noor and four-year-old Maliha Fatima. “The children miss their father. And the government only gives us false assurances,” he regretted.
Ambreen Ali, wife of Mohammad Aqeel Khan, an Able Seaman (AB), had also brought her four children, Imaan, Abeeha, Huzaifa and Hassan. “We have been crying and begging the government to help us get our men back but all our pleas are falling on deaf ears,” she said.
Izhar Kashif, son of Second Officer Syed Kashif Umer Naqvi, shared that whenever they get a new video of the hostages, their entire family weeps like children. “They have become so weak that they are almost unrecognisable,” he said and added, “and here our government is not taking any responsibility of bringing our people home”.
Mehwish Bibi, wife of Mohammad Yasin, another AB, said that her husband was sick. “When I last spoke to him, he told me that he had caught an infection. I’m really worried about everyone’s health. Are we to expect them back alive?” She aired her frustration.
Muzamil Ahmed Ansari, son of Third Engineer Mahmood Ahmed Ansari said that they have seen zero progress in the last two months by the government in retrieving their loved ones. “We have gone to Governor House, too, but no one seems to care,” he criticised.
Speaking on the occasion, JI’s Sindh Assembly member Mohammad Farooq demanded from senior government officials that the 10 men be immediately brought back home and reunited with their families. “The state is like a mother to its citizens. It has a fundamental responsibility to the lives and property of its citizens. The government should not shirk its responsibilities,” he said.
JI’s acting Karachi Chief Advocate Saifuddin assured the families that his party will continue to stand with them until their loved ones are back home safe and sound. He also said that in an effort to secure the early release of hostages, JI Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman was also in contact with federal ministers and other senior government officials.
“The government is very active in resolving international issues but it should also show some empathy in this case and come to the assistance of these poor families of the 10 hostages stuck onboard a ship in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
Was this news helpful?
0 people liked this
