Honour 25 vessel: Son of slain engineer Kashif Umar appeals to govt for father's repatriation

KARACHI: Azhan, the son of Pakistani engineer Kashif Umar, has appealed to the government to bring his father’s body back to Pakistan after Umar reportedly died while held in pirates’ captivity in Somalia.

Speaking to ARY News, Azhan said that the women in their family had protested at several places to demand government intervention for Umar’s release from armed Somali pirates.

He expressed frustration that despite his father and other crew members being a source of vital foreign remittance for Pakistan, the government made no meaningful efforts to secure his release over the past five months.

Azhan added that the government, preoccupied with its own political issues, did nothing for the hijacked Pakistani citizens.

“They were not insects that the government could just fail to act for the release of its own citizens,” he remarked.

“والد کی میت وطن واپس لانے کیلئے انتظامات کیے جائیں” جاں بحق سیکنڈ انجینئر کاشف کے بیٹے کی اے آر وائی سے گفتگو#ARYNews pic.twitter.com/uGoO3LwTHU

— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) September 29, 2026

Devastated by his father’s demise, Azhan questioned how he would support his three younger siblings now that he is the sole remaining support for the family.

He urgently demanded that the government bring his father’s body home as soon as possible, warning that it would otherwise decompose.

The family’s emotional appeal follows months of uncertainty over Umar’s whereabouts and condition.