Police release 11 protesters detained during Karachi sit-in over Somali pirate hostages

KARACHI: Police have released all 11 protesters detained during a demonstration by families of Pakistanis held hostage by Somali pirates in Karachi. The detainees, comprising six men and five women, were also handed back the belongings taken into custody during the crackdown.

Earlier police had disrupted a sit-in staged by families outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office near FTC on Shahrah-e-Faisal on Sunday, arresting several protesters, including women, and dismantling their protest camp.

According to the police, the protesters were removed from the site over security concerns. The sit-in had continued through the night, with around 10 families, including women and children, camped outside the ministry’s office since the previous evening. The families had earlier staged a separate peaceful protest at Numaish Chowrangi, and had warned they would begin a hunger strike from 10am on Monday if their demands were not addressed.

However, a heavy police contingent arrived at the site that morning, removing the protesters’ belongings and dismantling the camp before arresting several demonstrators, including families. The detained protesters were taken to Tipu Sultan police station, where family members have since gathered to demand their immediate release.

The protesters say more than four and a half months have passed since their relatives were taken hostage by Somali pirates, with no serious action taken at the government level to secure their safe recovery. They said they had gathered outside the Foreign Office to press the government to take urgent steps to bring their loved ones home.

Ten Pakistani sailors have been held hostage since April 21 by Somali pirates who hijacked the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25 off the coast of Puntland. The crew also included seven Indonesian nationals, including the ship’s captain, along with one Indian and one Sri Lankan.

Government response, distress appeals

More than three months into the captivity, neither negotiations nor payment of the roughly $3 million ransom demanded for the crew’s release had progressed. On August 13, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting reviewing government efforts toward the sailors’ release, directing officials to intensify coordination with Somali authorities and international partners. The Foreign Office said the government remained engaged with the situation and expressed hope for a positive outcome.

The hostages have released multiple distress videos over the course of their captivity, including one on August 7, appealing to the Pakistani government to secure their release and reporting shortages of food, clean water and medicine. Earlier video and phone messages arranged under the supervision of the pirates, aimed at pressuring families to pay ransom, had stopped after mid-June before resuming with the August appeal.