Families demand action for Pakistani crew held by Somali pirates

"He says his brain isn't functioning. He's worried about his dad and that's all that's on his mind," said Fatima. Her husband, Syed Hussain Yousuf, serves as second engineer on the vessel. The last time their captors allowed a video call six days ago, "he did not look well," she said.

Under the hot sun, five families of the hostages gathered on the Karachi Port Trust Native Jetty Bridge, an overpass near Karachi's main port, holding signs demanding the government bring their relatives home, while children, some barely able to hold their placards upright, stood beside them.

Hijackings of vessels by Somali pirate gangs were once commonplace around the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, a major shipping lane used to transport critical energy and goods to global markets.

They eased through much of 2025 but incidents are rising again. The waterway is particularly important given the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war.