The Pakistani government has announced that it will provide 12.5 million rupees ($44,000) and a house to the family of each of the three Pakistani sailors killed during the rescue operation of an oil tanker that had been held off the coast of Somalia for months.
The three men were among 10 Pakistani crew members aboard the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged vessel. The ship was reportedly hijacked by pirates off the coast of Puntland on April 21 and was recovered by regional security forces on September 29, after remaining in the captors’ hands for more than five months.
Five crew members died during the ordeal, three of whom were Pakistani nationals.
The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the families of the three victims would receive financial aid and housing, while the deceased’s children were promised free education and healthcare.
“The grieving families will not be left alone during this difficult time,” Sharif said in a statement issued by his office.
The Pakistani government identified the three deceased sailors as Syed Kashif Umar, Mahmood Ahmed Ansari, and Rafiullah Khan. Sharif also spoke by phone with Kashif Umar’s son, Azhan Kashif, offering condolences to the family and stating that the government is making efforts to repatriate the bodies of his father and the two other sailors to Pakistan as soon as possible.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant agencies have been instructed to maintain constant contact with the families, while the Pakistani embassy is working with Somali authorities and other relevant parties to expedite the repatriation of the bodies.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is pursuing efforts to bring home the sailors who survived the captivity.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that four of the released sailors were expected to return to Pakistan today, Saturday.
