LONDON: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called for urgent international intervention to secure the safe return of 10 Pakistani sailors being held captive by Somali pirates.

Dar made the appeal during a meeting with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez in London on Monday. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Dar urged “urgent and effective institutional intervention” and thanked the IMO chief for supporting efforts to secure the sailors’ release.

The Pakistani sailors were among the crew of MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker hijacked by armed pirates off Puntland, Somalia, on April 21. Four months after the incident, negotiations and efforts to secure their release have reportedly made little progress, while concerns have grown over the hostages’ health and living conditions.

The captives have reportedly made several emotional appeals for assistance, saying they have faced shortages of clean water, food and medicine. A ransom of around $3 million has reportedly been sought.

The tanker’s crew includes 10 Pakistanis, seven Indonesians, one Indian, and one Sri Lankan. The situation has also been complicated by uncertainty over the vessel’s ownership, with the person initially believed to be its owner later described as more likely an intermediary who had hired the crew.

During the meeting, Dar also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the IMO and discussed cooperation on maritime safety, security, regulatory reforms, and development of the country’s maritime sector.