Pakistan secures release of 24 citizens from Houthis using different channels

Pakistan has secured freedom of 24 citizens using different channels from Houthis, who had taken them hostage after their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker vessel caught fire in Israeli attack off Yemen coast.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a post on X thanked Secretary Interior Khurram Agha, the Ministry of Interiors (MoI) officers, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari, his team in Oman, officials in Saudi Arabia and officials of security agencies for securing their safe release.

“I am profoundly grateful to Secretary Interior Khurram Agha and other MOI officers Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, our colleagues in Saudi Arabia, and especially the officials of our security agencies who worked day and night under extraordinary conditions to secure the safe release of our citizens when hope was fading,” he wrote.

Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted Red Sea ship with missile

Providing details about the incident, Naqvi said an LPG tanker with 27 crew members, including two Sri Lankans and one Nepali, was attacked by an Israeli drone while docked at Ras al-Esa port (under Houthi control) in Yemen on September 17. Total 24 of the crew members, including Captain Mukhtar Akbar, were Pakistanis.

“One LPG tank exploded and the crew managed to extinguish the fire. The vessel was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats and the crew were held hostage aboard the ship,” he maintained.

“Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters,” the interior minister said. Pakistan Hamesha Zindabad, further stated in his message.

The incident has drawn attention to the growing risks faced by commercial shipping in conflict zones and highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic and security coordination in securing the safety of its citizens abroad.