Karachi Police Briefly Detain Family Members Protesting 140-Day Captivity of Pakistani Sailors Held by Somali Pirates

Relatives of the 10 Pakistani crew members of the Palau-flagged tanker MT Honour 25 — hijacked off Somalia's Puntland coast on April 21, 2026 and still held after roughly 140 days — staged an overnight sit-in at Karachi's Sharea Faisal outside the Foreign Affairs ministry liaison office on September 6-7, 2026, warning they would begin a hunger strike if the government failed to secure the crew's release. Police briefly detained seven protesters early Monday morning, September 7, taking them to Tipu Sultan police station; families said officers were not initially allowing them to see the detainees, while police said the detentions followed use of loudspeakers without authorization and that protesters were dispersed without force — an account families disputed. Pakistan's Foreign Office said it remains 'actively engaged' in securing the crew's release; a legal advisor cited unspecified 'recent developments' in the case, including pirates reportedly lowering their ransom demand from the roughly $3 million previously sought. No ransom has been paid and no hostages released as of September 7.