Four Pakistani crew members recovered after the hijacking of an oil tanker are expected to arrive in Karachi tomorrow, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said.
The crew members were identified as Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams and Usman Ghani. According to Dar, their recovery followed sustained efforts by Pakistan’s Foreign Office and the country’s embassy in Djibouti.
The mortal remains of three other Pakistani crew members who died in the incident are also being repatriated to Pakistan. They were identified as Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.
Dar said the necessary legal and administrative formalities were being expedited to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies.
The oil tanker was hijacked by armed pirates off the southeastern coast of Somalia on April 21. At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistani nationals.
The tanker was reportedly transporting oil to Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region when it was seized.
