Four Pakistani crew members from hijacked MV Honour 25 to arrive in Karachi tomorrow: Dar

Allah,” Dar said in a post on X.He said the mortal remains of three Pakistani crew members who “tragically lost their lives” were being repatriated to Pakistan, with “all necessary legal and other formalities” being fast-tracked.

“The mortal remains of the three Pakistani crew members (Late Rafi Ullah Khan, Late Syed Kashif Umer and Late Mahmood Ahmed Ansari) who tragically lost their lives are being repatriated to Pakistan, with all necessary legal and other formalities being fast-tracked to expedite the process in this regard,” he said.

Following sustained efforts by the Foreign Office and our Embassy in Djibouti, four of the ten Pakistani crew members (Mr Yasir Khan, Mr Aqeel Khan, Mr Amin bin Shams and Mr Usman Ghani) affected by the hijacking of MV Honour 25 off the coast of Somalia have been safely retrieved…— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaq.

Dar50)October 2, 2026“My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families, who are going through a deeply painful time,” Dar said. The remaining three Pakistani crew members — Imran Ali, Yasin Muhammad and Syed Yousuf Hussain — “continue to be aboard the vessel”, along with the captain.

“We are actively coordinating with our friendly countries to facilitate their safe extraction and earliest possible return to Pakistan, insha.

Allah,” the minister said on X.The Foreign Office, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, “remains fully seized of the matter” and was “continuously making every effort” to ensure the return of all Pakistani nationals, "including bodies of the deceased at the earliest and will continue extending all possible support to the affected families,” he said.

The oil tanker Honour 25, sailing under the Somali flag from Oman to Somalia, washijackedby pirates on April 21. There were 17 crew members aboard, 10 of them Pakistani nationals. The families of the Pakistani hostages spent months seeking the safe release of their loved ones, staging peaceful protests and repeatedly approaching government authorities.

During their captivity, the pirates initiallydemanded a ransomof $3 million, which was later reduced to $1.9 million and subsequently to $1 million. All the Pakistani crew members who were killed or injured were from different areas of Karachi.

Also Read:FO expresses condolences over deaths of five crew members in Somalia rescue operation. The pirates came under pressure during a rescue operation and, while retreating from the vessel, opened indiscriminate fireon the abducted crew before fleeing the ship.

Five sailors were killed, including three Pakistanis — Second Officer Kashif Umar, Third Engineer Mahmood Ansari and Boiler Rafiullah. The other two deceased crew members were an Indian sailor, Tanveer, and the chief engineer from Myanmar.

Four sailors were injured — Usman, Yasir, Ameen and Vicky from Indonesia — while Hussain Yousuf, Imran Ali and Yaseen remained safe. The two surviving Pakistani crew members later contacted the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust in Karachi using the ship captain’s mobile phone and provided details of the incident.

Puntland police said the Honour 25 had 18,500 barrels of oil on board when it was hijacked. The police had been pursuing three hijacked vessels off the Somali coast and had also rescued another oil tanker, Sibu 1, on Friday.

However, 28 of the 41 pirates arrested during that operation later escaped while being transferred to jail, with several Puntland security officials accusing local police of complicity. The Gulf of Aden and Somalia coasts have seen a resurgence in piracy since April, with at least 15 attacks recorded this year, the highest number since 2013, Maritime Organisation.