- WEB DESK
- October 4, 2026
Four injured MT Honour 25 crew members, remains of three Pakistanis reach Karachi
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- WEB DESK
- October 4, 2026
KARACHI: Four injured Pakistani crew members of MT Honour 25 and the mortal remains of three Pakistanis killed during an operation to recover the hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia arrived in Karachi on Sunday evening.
Earlier in a post on X, the Foreign Office said Pakistan’s ambassadors to Djibouti and Ethiopia saw off the four injured crew members — Usman Ghani, Aqeel Khan, Ameen bin Shams and Yasir Khan — along with the remains of Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmad Ansari from Addis Ababa.
“They are arriving in Karachi today aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 694,” the ministry added.
The remains were brought through the airport’s cargo terminal, while the injured crew members were brought through the Jinnah International Airport terminal.
Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi also reached the airport to receive the injured crew members and the remains of those killed. Family members of the victims were also present at the airport.
Sindh provincial minister Nasir Hussain Shah and MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar also reached the Jinnah terminal.
The seven Pakistanis were among 10 Pakistani nationals aboard the MT Honour 25, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in April. The Palau-flagged oil tanker was carrying a multinational crew, including Indonesians, an Indian and a Sri Lankan.
For almost five months, there was little progress in negotiations or in efforts to secure the payment of a ransom reportedly set at around $3 million. The prolonged captivity raised concerns about the crew’s health and living conditions.
The sailors made a number of emotional video and audio appeals during their captivity, saying they were running short of clean water, food and medicines. In one appeal, the crew described their conditions as critical and said they were surviving on basic food and contaminated water.
The Foreign Office said throughout the ordeal that it remained in contact with the relevant authorities and was “actively engaged” in efforts to secure the sailors’ release.
Tanker recovered
On 29 September, Puntland maritime police said they had recovered the MT Honour 25 in an operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district.
The Foreign Office later confirmed that five crew members had died during the operation, including three Pakistanis — Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari. Three other Pakistanis were injured and taken to hospital. The surviving crew members were brought ashore safely.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths, however, remain disputed.
The Puntland authorities said the operation was a planned effort to recover the vessel from the pirates. According to the Foreign Office, five crew members were killed during the operation.
But Advocate Quratulain of the Ansar Burney Trust, which had been assisting the families, gave a different account. She said the pirates had brought the hostages on to the deck after realising that Puntland forces were approaching.
According to her account, the pirates tied the hostages’ hands and threatened to kill them if the security forces came closer without paying the ransom.
She said the pirates opened fire on the hostages as the security operation went ahead, killing three Pakistanis, one Indian and one Myanmar national.
Quratulain also said the ransom demand had been reduced from the initial $3 million to $1 million.
There has been no independent confirmation of that account.
