New Delhi: A week after 10 Pakistani sailors aboard an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden were kidnapped by Somalian pirates, Pakistanis are now raising their voices over government inaction.
From actors to rappers, several prominent Pakistani artists have publicly condemned the alleged ‘inaction’ on social media and demanded urgent state intervention. While the BBC reported about 10 Pakistani sailors, other news outlets from Pakistan reported that 11 have been kidnapped.
“Why isn’t this being reported and what exactly are we doing to save so many of our own,” Pakistani actor Mahira Khan wrote in an Instagram story.
Pakistani rapper Talha Anjum added that one of the sailors was “like a brother.”
“This is a matter of life and death which needs our grave attention”, he said in an Instagram story.
In a separate story, Anjum posted the photo of the ship, adding: “As a Pakistani citizen, I’m ashamed at the non seriousness & ‘under the rug’ policy of the government and the powerful offices across the board. Wake up and bring them home” with a poster of the ship.
Actor Sabeena Farooq simply asked: “Seriously, what even? Kahan jayen hum. Kis se insaf mangen? Dil bhi ni bacha ab (“Seriously, what is even happening? Where are we supposed to go? Who do we ask for justice? I don’t even have the heart left anymore.)
Others raised concerns on social media as well. Sadia A, a Pakistani X user, claimed that a painful final message of a Pakistani crew member has surfaced, shedding light on the tense moments during the incident.
“The message reflects the fear and uncertainty faced by those on board as the ship was seized off the coast of Somalia. I hope navy is doing something for these Pakistanis!!!! May they be reunited with their families!” the user added.
The small clip, now viral, of perhaps one of the captured sailors says they are going to be killed and asks for forgiveness in Urdu. The clip has not been independently verified.
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Second incident in a week
Pakistani officials, however, have said that efforts are underway to bring back the abducted sailors. According to reports, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been coordinating with Somali authorities, alongside the Navy and maritime agencies, to secure the crew’s release. In Karachi, Sindh governor Nehal Hashmi met with families of the hostages this week, assuring them that communication with the sailors had been maintained and that recovery efforts were continuing.
A Times of Karachi report on Monday stated that five out of the 11 abducted are Karachiites, and their families have made a public appeal for their release, adding that they are being starved.
Reham Khan, political activist and former wife of Imran Khan, in a post on X Tuesday, said, “We need confirmation not reassurance on the safe recovery of abducted hostages from Karachi by Somali pirates.”
But the hijacking is part of a wider and more troubling pattern. Somali piracy, once a dominant global threat, had largely receded over the past decade following coordinated international naval patrols.
According to a report on the Defence Web, the tanker “Honour 25” was boarded by armed men roughly 30 nautical miles off Somalia’s coast. According to reports, at least 11 attackers eventually took control of the ship, which was later anchored near the towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla in the semi-autonomous Puntland region in Somalia.
The tanker, carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, had been bound for Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, where fuel shortages amid the West Asia war have already driven prices sharply higher.
There were 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one from Myanmar onboard the vessel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, an organisation overseen by the British Navy, has raised its threat level for the region to “substantial”, warning that pirate groups, often referred to as Pirate Action Groups, are active and capable of launching further assaults.
On 26 April, the cargo ship Sward was seized just six nautical miles northeast of Garacad, Somalia, and forced into territorial waters, making it the second incident where suspected Somali pirates hijacked a merchant vessel within a week.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)