SOME 50 days on, 11 Pakistani nationals are still in Somali pirates’ captivity. Their appeals to the Pakistani and Indonesian governments continue to circulate on social media. In some videos, they stand with their hands tied, surrounded by pirates aiming their guns at them. In others, they hold bottles of yellow water as clean water has run out, and say there is just enough rice for a small daily meal. Reportedly, the maritime affairs minister discussed their release with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar last week. But the persistent lack of urgency and trite consolations are mere placebos. The question is: are they dispensable to those in power?

Their survival and the integrity of maritime safeguards for our seamen who traverse treacherous waterways hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, outrage mounts as new reports surface about collapsed negotiations. As per the latest account of the hostages, instead of engaging with the pirates, the seized vessel’s owners have left the process to an intermediary, resulting in an impasse. This is unacceptable. The government has to approach the matter more aggressively as well as seek international help. After all, they profess protection of vulnerable shipping. Each Pakistani deserves as much, in fact more, responsiveness as state and global affairs. Concerned security agencies and the rulers need to form an airtight collaboration plan with foreign services, and perhaps also consider naval intervention to rescue our hapless countrymen. Several maritime charities have already warned against the deep trauma associated with isolation at sea. This prolonged capture exposes the dismal failure of present frameworks to handle organised piracy. Experts maintain that piracy will not disappear without a wholesale change in Somalian political conditions, or a collective refusal to pass the Gulf of Aden. Neither is likely. Hence, the time to rescue our people is now.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026