Three more Pakistani crew members of hijacked MV Honour 25 reach Karachi

KARACHI: Three more Pakistani crew members of the MV Honour 25 vessel, which was hijacked by Somali pirates, have reached Karachi via Ethiopian Airlines.

The three Pakistanis are Hussain Yousuf, Imran Ali and Muhammad Yasin. Hussain Yousuf and Imran Ali belong to Karachi, while Muhammad Yasin is from Swat.

The three Pakistanis had reached Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from Somalia’s port two days ago. They were transported from Puntland aboard the MT Honour 25 vessel to Wasaso before travelling onward to Ethiopia and then Pakistan.

The three Pakistanis remained safe during firing by Somali pirates when the Puntland Maritime Police Force launched an operation to free the hijacked vessel.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar had said that four of the 10 Pakistani crew members affected by the hijacking had been safely retrieved. The four Pakistanis were Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Ameen bin Shams and Usman Ghani.

Three Pakistani crew members Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umar and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari were killed when Somali pirates opened indiscriminate fire during the operation to free the vessel.

The MV Honour 25 was hijacked by Somali pirates on April 21 while travelling from Oman to Somalia near the coast of Puntland.

Ten Pakistani nationals were among the crew members held hostage aboard the vessel. The government of Pakistan had been making efforts for their release through negotiations and contacts with relevant countries.

On September 29, the Puntland Maritime Police Force launched an operation to free the ship. During the operation, the pirates opened fire, resulting in the deaths of five people, including three Pakistani sailors.

The government has also expedited legal procedures to bring the bodies of the three Pakistani sailors killed in the incident back to Pakistan.