amilies of 10 Pakistanis taken hostage by Somali pirates nearly three weeks ago are still waiting for their rescue and safe recovery.

There has been no significant progress so far, despite the Foreign Office saying that authorities in Somalia have provided written assurance to Islamabad regarding the early resolution of the standoff and the peaceful return of the hostages.

Pirates hijacked the oil tanker Honour 25, carrying a multi-national crew, near the Somali coast on April 21. The vessel, which had started its journey nearly three months earlier, had reached waters near Somalia and circled close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz before turning towards Mogadishu.

According to the families, the crew included 10 Pakistanis and a person each from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

“I received a message from my brother on April 21 saying that pirates were firing at the ship,” Umair Khan, younger brother of kidnapped crew member Yasir Khan, told The News on Sunday. “Later, another message said the ship had been hijacked and they had been taken hostages.”

“My brother Yasir Khan was on the ship that was hijacked by pirates on April 21. It’s a very tough time for my family and for the other families whose loved ones are being held hostage. Please share this post as much as you can and pray that all the crew members reunite with their families,” Khan wrote on social media.

“It was shocking when my brother made a video call showing pirates carrying AK-47 rifles,” Khan said, describing the brief contact the hostages were allowed to make with their families after the hijacking.

“We are losing hope. There has been no significant progress. We don’t know what the government is doing. Nobody from the government is in contact with us,” the wife of another crew member held hostage told TNS.

“The last time the family spoke to the hostage was on April 24. My husband said they have a lot of ammunition and arms. He asked us to appeal to the government to rescue them. They are also facing a shortage of food,” she said, quoting her husband.

The families of some of the hostages have approached various leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi. Hashmi recently assured the affected families them that they had not been abandoned. He said the relevant authorities had been directed to pursue their release.

However, the families remain worried. They say the authorities have not kept them informed about the developments. “It is a serious human rights issue. The families are deeply disturbed and feeling helpless,” Khan said.

He says the messages received from the hostages indicate that the pirates behave unpredictably. “Sometimes they are calm; at other times they become aggressive,” he said, quoting his brother.

Among the 10 Pakistani crew members taken hostage, six belong to Karachi, three are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — one each from Swat, Mardan and Bajaur — and one from Sahiwal. The families appealed to Pakistani authorities to take urgent steps for the safe and early recovery of the hostages.

One of the family members said they had seen a disturbing video showing the crew members in captivity. The footage reportedly showed around a dozen people confined in a tiny cabin.

The European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta has confirmed two piracy incidents off the northern coast of Somalia involving Motor Tanker HONOUR 25 and Merchant Vessel SWARD. The Pakistani hostages are part of the MT HONOUR 25 crew. The vessel is owned by a Somali businessman.

Tahir Andrabi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The News on Sunday that the Pakistani embassy was in contact with the Somali government.

“The Somali authorities have given us written assurance that they are working for an early settlement, safe return and repatriation of the hostages,” he said.

According to the Foreign Office, Honor 25 was carrying oil to Somalia’s Puntland region. It had a 17-member crew, including 10 Pakistanis.

“Our embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Somalia, approached the Somali authorities, including their foreign office. We have learnt that the vessel is anchored off the coast of Eyl in the Puntland region,” Andrabi said. “You may recall that Puntland is a semi-autonomous region. We consider it a part of the brotherly nation of Somalia.”

Andrabi said that MT Honor 25 is owned by a businessman based in Puntland. “The silver lining is that the ship is where it belongs. The Somali foreign ministry has been very cooperative. They have informed us that they are closely monitoring the situation and assured us that updates regarding the status of the vessel and safety of the crew members will be shared.”

Andrabi said during the weekly media briefing that Pakistani authorities are trying their best to ensure the safety and well-being of the detained Pakistanis and other crew members.

“They are in contact with the pirates and the authorities in the Puntland region. Based on our discussions with the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have fair reason to believe that the crew members are safe and that the pirates and the owner of the ship, who is a local person, are in communication,” he said.

The Foreign Office mentioned that the Joint Maritime Information Centre coordinates anti-piracy efforts among coalition naval forces operating in the area. Pakistan Navy has previously participated in anti-piracy and counter-narcotics operations under Combined Task Force 150 and Combined Task Force 151. It has once commanded the CTF-150.

The Foreign Office has said that its two main priorities remain ensuring the safety and well-being of Pakistani nationals and securing their safe return and repatriation.

The author is a staff reporter. He can be reached at [email protected]. He tweets at @waqargillani