Web Desk(National Times)- The Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) on Saturday said that arrangements were underway to repatriate the remains of three Pakistani sailors, who were killed during an operation earlier this week to recover a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The maritime police force of Somalia\u2019s semi-autonomous Puntland said on Tuesday that it had recovered the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker with 19 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Foreign Office confirmed on Wednesday that three Pakistanis had died and three others were injured during the operation, later identifying the deceased as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a statement by the PMO issued on Saturday, arrangements were being made to repatriate the sailors\u2019 remains as per the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The remains had been taken to Ethiopia\u2019s capital Addis Ababa, with Ethiopian Airlines reviewing the next steps for transferring the bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFollowing this, final approval will be granted for their departure on a flight bound for Karachi. In accordance with the prime minister\u2019s instructions, the relevant authorities are in continuous contact to expedite the repatriation process,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It added that the premier had assured of \u201call possible assistance\u201d in bringing the deceased sailors home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PM Shehbaz has announced a relief package worth Rs12.5 million for the deceased sailors\u2019 families, the PMO said yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prime minister announced financial support for the families of the deceased, including free housing and free education for their children. The PMO added that the premier spoke with Syed Kashif Umer\u2019s son, Azhan Kashif, on the phone to extend his condolences and express his grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that four of the 10 Pakistani crew members had been \u201csafely retrieved\u201d and were scheduled to arrive in Karachi today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The four crew members \u2014 Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams and Usman Ghani \u2014 were retrieved following \u201csustained efforts\u201d by FO and Pakistan\u2019s embassy in Djibouti, Dar said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Months with no progress
The MT Honour 25 had been hijacked by Somali pirates on April 21, around 30 nautical miles off Somalia\u2019s semi-autonomous Puntland region. Apart from Pakistanis, the vessel\u2019s crew also included seven Indonesians, an Indian and a Sri Lankan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For around five months, there had been no progress either in negotiations or in the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for the recovery of the hostages, despite concerns abounding about their declining health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the hijacking, the crew made several emotional videos and audio appeals, reporting that they ran out of clean water, food and medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For its part, FO maintained that it remained \u201cactively engaged\u201d to secure the release of the sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sept 29, Somali maritime police recovered the Palau-flagged oil tanker amid reports of casualties among the crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe naval and ground units of the Puntland Maritime Police Force conducted a planned operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district,\u201d the maritime police had said in its initial statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another statement, it announced that the operation had concluded and the recovered vessel was \u201cnow safe and under the Puntland government\u2019s control\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the operation, it said, 21 suspected pirates were apprehended, while operations to locate the remaining members continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore the operation [had] begun, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew. Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web Desk(National Times)- The Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) on Saturday said that arrangements were underway to repatriate the remains of three Pakistani sailors, who were killed during an operation earlier this week to recover a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia. The maritime police force of Somalia\u2019s semi-autonomous Puntland said on Tuesday that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n