Monday, 13 June 2011

Somali Pirates Freed Pakistani-Indian Hostages


Somali Pirates Freed Pakistani-Indian Hostages


KARACHI:  June 13, 2011

While details are  yet to come, Governor of  Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad has announced in a media briefing on Monday that Somali sea pirates have freed 22 crew member  including 4 Pakistanis  who were in their captive for the last 10 months.

Ansar Burney, a Karachi based human right activist and a philanthropist worked frantically for months to arrange for the demanded ransom money and obtain release of the victims. He had the personal support of Dr.Ishratul Ibad, the MQM backed Governor of Sind.

Ansar Burney with the other philanthropist  raised $1.1 million for the release of the MV Suez.  This sum was  added  to the $1million raised by Red Sea Navigation Co. of Port Tawfeeq in Egypt. A total of $2.1 was paid in ransom for the release.

 The 17,300 deadweight merchant vessel MV Suez with a cargo of cement bags from Karachi, Pakistan, was sailing for Eritrea, was taken over by Somali Sea Pirates in the Gulf of Aden on August 2, 2010.

The vessel  MV Suez  was sailing under star master Captain Syed Wasi Ahmed  of Nazimabad , Karachi with his  11 Egyptians, six Indians, three  Pakistanis  and one Sri Lankan crew mates.

Further information regarding their arrival back home is still awaited.

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