Karachi Press Club Somali Pirates Protest: Families Demand Govt Action

Karachi – (Web Desk) – Family members held a Karachi Press Club Somali pirates protest on Friday, asking the government to act fast and bring home ten Pakistani men still held by pirates near Somalia.

The protest was led by Jamaat-e-Islami. Many relatives of the captured men joined the rally outside the press club to show their support.

The ship was taken over by pirates near Somalia’s Puntland area on April 21. It was carrying seventeen crew members, and ten of them are Pakistani citizens.

Families said the men have now been in danger for almost two months. They asked the state to step up and protect its own people without further delay.

JI leader Saifuddin Advocate spoke at the event. He asked the government to take the issue seriously and push harder through diplomatic channels.

He added that JI chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has also called for the quick and safe return of the hostages. The party said it will keep raising its voice until they are freed.

At the close of the rally, the group passed a formal resolution. It calls on the Foreign Ministry and other departments to talk directly with Somali leaders and global agencies.

The resolution also asks for a special task force to handle the case, along with regular updates for the worried families waiting at home.

This protest follows a video that surfaced just days earlier. In the clip, crew members aboard the ship MT Honour 25 pleaded for urgent help from the government.

Second officer Syed Kashif Umar said in the video that the ten Pakistani crew had already spent 57 days in captivity. He asked officials to act quickly for their release.

He shared that food on board is running low, some crew members have fallen sick, and the ship’s owners have shown little interest in talking with the pirates.

The vessel’s Indonesian captain also asked his own government to step in and help free the trapped crew.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said last week that it remains committed to bringing its citizens home safely.

Diplomatic sources say the ship is still anchored off the Somali coast while talks continue behind the scenes.

They explained that Somalia’s government is reaching the pirates through the ship’s owner, hoping to reach a deal soon.

The pirates first asked for ten million dollars in ransom. That figure has since dropped to four million dollars, but no final deal has been reached.