The Foreign Office on Wednesday said that it was making every effort to facilitate the transportation of the mortal remains of three Pakistani nationals during a Puntland rescue operation to free the hijacked petroleum tanker MT Honour 25 off the Somali coast. In a statement, FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan expressed deep condolences over the deaths of Pakistani nationals and said that the three Pakistani nationals killed were identified as Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari. Four Pakistani crew members were also injured and were receiving medical care at a nearby hospital. The surviving crew members had been brought safely ashore at Bandar Beyla. Pakistan’s embassy team in Djibouti was proceeding to Bandar Beyla to assist the Pakistani nationals, the FO said. It added that the government remained in close contact with Somali authorities and other concerned stakeholders through its mission and relevant authorities. A day earlier, Puntland’s information ministry said its forces had successfully freed the tanker and captured 16 pirates during the rescue operation. However, before the operation began, the pirates killed five crew members \u2014 three Pakistanis, one from Myanmar and one from India. The Palau-flagged tanker had been seized by pirates on April 21, approximately 30 nautical miles off Puntland’s coast, with 17 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistani nationals. Ansar Burney, director of the Ansar Burney Trust, confirmed the casualties and said his organisation had repeatedly alerted relevant authorities to the threats facing the crew’s lives and had urged immediate action. He called for the injured crew members to be returned safely and for the bodies of those killed to be handed over to their families. Among those killed was second officer Kashif Umar, a resident of Karachi’s Buffer Zone who had spent 25 years in the merchant navy. People began visiting his home to offer condolences after news of his death emerged. According to the Ansar Burney Trust, Umar had said during his last conversation that food, drinking water and other essential supplies aboard the vessel were running out. Last month, Pakistan had sought intervention from the International Maritime Organisation to secure the release and safe return of the 10 Pakistani seafarers aboard the tanker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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