ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday directed stakeholders to maintain close and regular coordination and intensify diplomatic engagement with national and international partners to facilitate the release of 10 Pakistani sailors who have been held hostage by Somali pirates since April.

The sailors were among the crew of the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker that was hijacked by armed pirates off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, on April 21. Besides the 10 Pakistani crew members, the hostages include seven Indonesians, including the captain, as well as an Indian and a Sri Lankan.

During more than three months of their captivity, there has been no progress either in negotiations or the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for their recovery.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (FO) has been saying that efforts are underway for their release and return.

In a statement posted on X, it said Mr Dar chaired a meeting to review Pakistan’s “intensified efforts” for the safe release of the sailors.

The FO said the government remained “fully seized” of the situation and that Mr Dar expressed the hope that sustained and coordinated engagement would lead to a positive outcome and the crew members’ safe return.

On Aug 7, more than 100 days after being taken hostage by Somali pirates, the crew members aboard the MT Honour 25 released another distress message in which they appealed directly to the Pakistani government for their release.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2026