Pakistan coordinates Somalia crew repatriation

Pakistan is coordinating with Somali authorities to arrange the repatriation of surviving crew members and the remains of those killed during an operation to recover the hijacked vessel MT Honour 25, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan was deeply saddened by the deaths of five crew members during the recovery operation. Three of those killed were Pakistani nationals — Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umar and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.

Four other crew members, including three Pakistanis, were injured and are receiving medical treatment. The Pakistani government is working with Somali authorities and other relevant parties to ensure medical assistance for the injured, the safe return of surviving Pakistani crew members and the repatriation of the deceased.

During his weekly media briefing, the spokesperson also provided updates on Pakistan’s diplomatic engagements and its current chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

He said the first meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators under Pakistan’s 2026-27 chairmanship was held in Islamabad from September 28 to 30. Representatives reviewed ongoing initiatives, preparations for upcoming meetings and ways to improve coordination among member states.

The discussions were held under Pakistan’s theme for the chairmanship, “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”

The visiting SCO delegations also visited the Pakistan National Council of the Arts and Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium. They were briefed about Pakistan’s cultural heritage and preparations for the SCO Hockey Tournament scheduled for November 20 to December 2.

The spokesperson said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would provide details of his engagements during the recent UN General Assembly high-level week at a press briefing scheduled for Friday.

He added that Dar had recently held discussions with Turkish, British, Iranian and Malaysian officials on regional developments, bilateral relations, energy security, trade and economic cooperation.