Somali pirates demand $3 million ransom for ship: Ansar Burney Trust

Somali pirates demand $3 million ransom for ship: Ansar Burney Trust

The Ansar Burney Trust, a human rights organization based in Pakistan, has reported that the pirates have demanded a ransom of $3 million in US dollars for the release of the crew members aboard an oil tanker that was hijacked near Somalia in April of this year.

The Ansar Burney Trust has stated that they have made contact with the pirate groups, and they are attempting to release the abducted crew members.

It is noteworthy that on April 21, the pirates hijacked an oil tanker named 'MT Honor 25' near Somalia. Of the crew members on this ship, 17 are Pakistani, with 10 of them being from Pakistan.

The families of the kidnapped Pakistanis stated in an interview with BBC Urdu that initially they had no issues with the food on the ship, but now, after some time, there has been a shortage of food, while the crew members have not been subjected to torture by the nearly 50 pirates on board, but they have also been threatened with death if their demands are not met.

The company operating MT Honor 25, Wharf Chartering, is registered in Indonesia. The captain of the ship is from Indonesia, and the crew also includes four citizens from Indonesia.

In addition to the Pakistanis, one citizen each from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and India is also among the crew members.

Ansar Burney Trust stated that the leader of the pirates who hijacked the MT Honor 25 informed via email that he officially notified everyone that their demand is three million dollars, and that there would be no negotiations or anything similar.

According to Ansar Burney Trust, the pirates mentioned in the email that they have never demanded 10 million dollars for the release of the ship and crew, "the news of 10 million dollars was spread by a third party, which was intended to confuse."

Earlier, the governor of Sindh, Nehal Hashmi, met with the families of 10 Pakistani crew members aboard the oil tanker that was hijacked near Somalia, and he promised that the federal government would not leave these families in any situation.

A written statement regarding this matter indicated that the communication with the hostages aboard the ship is still ongoing, and efforts at all levels are underway to secure their release.

BBC also contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan to provide information on this matter, but they have not yet received a response.