The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) has come forward with an offer of $2.1 million to Somali pirates for releasing seven Pakistani sailors held hostage on board the MV Albedo.
Well-placed sources told Pakistan Today that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad has tasked CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy for negotiating with the pirates for the early release of the captive Pakistanis.
The Somali pirates are demanding $8 million ransom for the release of the MV Albedo that they had hijacked around 10 months ago. The 23-member crew of the ship includes seven Pakistanis, seven Sri Lankans, five Bangladeshis, two Indians and an Iranian.
The Pakistani sailors are: the ship’s captain Javed Saleem from Karachi; chief officer Mujtaba from Manshera; third officer Raheel Anwar from Faisalabad; fourth engineer Zulfiqar from Gujrat; and crew members Ahsan Naveed from Jhehlum and Faqeer Muhammad from Karachi.
After the ransom demand was announced, the CPLC chief, on the orders of the Sindh governor, communicated with Omid Khosro Jerdi – the owner of MV Albedo.
“In an email sent to Jerdi on September 17 at 10:18 pm Pakistan Standard Time, Chinoy informed the ship’s owner that Pakistan can pay ransom money amounting to $2.1 million,” sources privy to the development told Pakistan Today.
“After one and a half hour, Jerdi replied to Chinoy’s email informing him that a high-profile figure from Somalia, Mohammad Ali, is in Dubai and can be contacted for negotiations.”
The sources said that the CPLC chief then flew to Dubai from Russia on October 4 and held a lengthy meeting with the Somali personality. “Chinoy requested him to contact the pirates and persuade them to release the ship for a sum of $2.1 million.”
The Somali pirates had earlier demanded $9 million ransom for the release of MV Albedo; however, the amount was later reduced to $8 million.
Earlier in June, prominent human rights activist Ansar Burney had played a key role in facilitating the release of 22 sailors onboard the MV Suez from the Somali pirates.
The captives were freed on a ransom of $2.1 million, which was jointly arranged by the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust, the Sindh government and the shipping company owning the hijacked ship.