Four Pakistani Sailors Freed from Somali Piracy Set to Return Home Saturday

KARACHI — Four Pakistani sailors held captive for over five months aboard a tanker hijacked by Somali pirates are now scheduled to return to Karachi on Sunday, a day later than initially planned, as efforts continue to repatriate the bodies of three compatriots killed during the ordeal, according to travel details obtained by Arab News.

The freed sailors — Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams, and Usman Ghani — are booked on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET694 from Addis Ababa, with arrival at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport set for 4:40 p.m. on Oct. 4, per an itinerary reviewed by Arab News.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that the sailors would reach Karachi on Saturday, following coordinated efforts by Pakistan’s Foreign Office and its embassy in Djibouti to secure their release.

Qurratulain Muhammad Anis, legal adviser to the Ansar Burney Trust, which has supported the sailors and their families, told Arab News on Saturday that authorities were working to bring the bodies of the three deceased Pakistanis home on Sunday as well.

“Some formalities still need to be resolved,” she said, noting that officials were attempting to arrange for the remains to arrive the same day as the four survivors.

The Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 was seized off Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region on April 21 with 17 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistanis.

Puntland maritime forces recovered the vessel late last month after more than five months in captivity. Five crew members were killed, including Pakistanis Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer, and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari, while four others were wounded.

Three remaining Pakistani survivors are still aboard the vessel with its captain, Dar said, adding that Islamabad was coordinating with other nations to facilitate their return.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Friday that families of the three deceased sailors would receive Rs12.5 million ($44,000) each, along with a house and free education and health care for their children.

Mahwish Yasir, wife of returning sailor Yasir Khan, said the family was relieved he was finally coming home.

“I cannot express my feelings,” she told Arab News on Saturday. “I am satisfied that my children will finally meet their father after such a long time.”

She added, however, that their relief was overshadowed by the deaths of the three Pakistani sailors.

“The sailors who died were also like our family,” she said. “Their grief is the same as ours.”

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