The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Saturday said that arrangements were underway to repatriate the remains of three Pakistani sailors, who were killed during an operation earlier this week to recover a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia.

The maritime police force of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland said on Tuesday that it had recovered the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker with 19 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis.

The Foreign Office confirmed on Wednesday that three Pakistanis had died and three others were injured during the operation, later identifying the deceased as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.

According to a statement by the PMO issued on Saturday, arrangements were being made to repatriate the sailors’ remains as per the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The remains had been taken to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, with Ethiopian Airlines reviewing the next steps for transferring the bodies.

“Following this, final approval will be granted for their departure on a flight bound for Karachi. In accordance with the prime minister’s instructions, the relevant authorities are in continuous contact to expedite the repatriation process,” the statement read.

It added that the premier had assured of “all possible assistance” in bringing the deceased sailors home.

PM Shehbaz has announced a relief package worth Rs12.5 million for the deceased sailors’ families, the PMO said yesterday.

The prime minister announced financial support for the families of the deceased, including free housing and free education for their children. The PMO added that the premier spoke with Syed Kashif Umer’s son, Azhan Kashif, on the phone to extend his condolences and express his grief.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that four of the 10 Pakistani crew members had been “safely retrieved” and were scheduled to arrive in Karachi today.

The four crew members — Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams and Usman Ghani — were retrieved following “sustained efforts” by FO and Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti, Dar said.

Months with no progress

The MT Honour 25 had been hijacked by Somali pirates on April 21, around 30 nautical miles off Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. Apart from Pakistanis, the vessel’s crew also included seven Indonesians, an Indian and a Sri Lankan.

For around five months, there had been no progress either in negotiations or in the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for the recovery of the hostages, despite concerns abounding about their declining health.

Since the hijacking, the crew made several emotional videos and audio appeals, reporting that they ran out of clean water, food and medicine.

For its part, FO maintained that it remained “actively engaged” to secure the release of the sailors.

On Sept 29, Somali maritime police recovered the Palau-flagged oil tanker amid reports of casualties among the crew.

“The naval and ground units of the Puntland Maritime Police Force conducted a planned operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district,” the maritime police had said in its initial statement.

In another statement, it announced that the operation had concluded and the recovered vessel was “now safe and under the Puntland government’s control”.

During the operation, it said, 21 suspected pirates were apprehended, while operations to locate the remaining members continue.

“Before the operation [had] begun, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew. Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India,” it said.