Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates are set to feature prominently in talks between Islamabad and London this week, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in the United Kingdom for a five day visit running from August 24 to 28. The trip comes at a critical moment for the families of ten Pakistani crew members who have spent more than four months in captivity aboard a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia.
Background to the MT Honour 25 Hijacking
The Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates were part of a seventeen member crew aboard the Palau flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25 when the vessel was seized on April 21 off Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. The MT Honour 25 hijacking has since drawn sustained attention in Pakistan, where relatives of the hostages have repeatedly appealed to the government to accelerate efforts for their safe return. Alongside the Pakistani nationals, the crew includes sailors from Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, all of whom remain in the custody of armed pirates operating from Somalia’s coastal regions.
Reports from earlier in the crisis indicated deteriorating conditions on board, with families describing shortages of clean drinking water and adequate food. Pakistan’s foreign office has previously acknowledged that the situation remains difficult, noting that the vessel’s cargo, described as highly explosive, complicates any prospect of a forceful rescue operation.
Dar’s UK Engagements
According to a statement issued by the Pakistani foreign office on Sunday, Dar earlier this month directed authorities to intensify diplomatic engagement with international partners, including Somali officials, in order to secure the release of the captives. During his UK visit, he is expected to hold meetings with British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Stephen Doughty, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister of State for Pakistan, along with other senior members of the UK government.
The foreign minister will also meet the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization to discuss the plight of the Pakistani crew members aboard the tanker, in addition to holding talks with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. These meetings reflect Islamabad’s broader strategy of engaging multilateral bodies with a stake in maritime security, given the vessel’s flag registration and the international composition of its crew.
A spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign office had earlier said that Islamabad urged both the Somali government and the ship’s owner to ensure continued supplies of food, water and other essentials to the hostages while negotiations proceeded. The office maintains that its embassy in Djibouti, which is also accredited to Somalia, has stayed engaged with Somali authorities and the vessel’s owner throughout the crisis.
Wider Pakistan-UK Cooperation
Beyond the maritime hostage issue, Dar’s visit will also involve engagement with British parliamentarians and members of the British Pakistani community, underscoring the depth of ties between the two countries. Pakistan and the UK cooperate closely across several areas, including trade, security, counterterrorism, climate action and migration.
That cooperation was reinforced in June, when the UK’s Minister for Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hamish Falconer, committed an additional £8 million to support joint efforts between the two countries to combat crime and illegal migration. Dar’s current visit is expected to build on that momentum while placing the fate of the Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates firmly on the diplomatic agenda.
A Resurgent Piracy Threat
The MT Honour 25 hijacking is widely seen as part of a broader resurgence of piracy off the Horn of Africa, an area that had experienced a marked decline in such incidents following years of international naval patrols. Analysts have pointed to the redeployment of naval assets toward other regional flashpoints as a contributing factor in the renewed threat to commercial shipping near Puntland.
For the families of the Pakistani sailors held hostage by Somali pirates, the outcome of Dar’s discussions in London carries significant weight. With ransom negotiations reportedly stalled and no confirmed timeline for release, the diplomatic push in the UK represents one of the more visible efforts by Pakistan to draw international pressure to bear on a crisis that has stretched on for months. As talks continue in London this week, families in Pakistan will be watching closely for any sign of progress toward bringing their loved ones home.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, August 24th, 2026
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