KARACHI:
The deadline for collection of ransom needed to release seven Pakistanis held hostage by Somali pirates onboard the MV Albedo lapses tomorrow, April 20.
Families and officials fear it is unlikely that the deadline would be met.
The pirates, who captured the Malaysian-flagged MV Albedo some 17 months ago, have demanded Rs320 million for the release of the crew and the vessel by April 20.
Half of the money, Rs160 million, is to be collected by the Pakistanis while the other half is to be raised by the Malaysian owner. Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief Ahmed Chinoy did not share the exact amount of money collected so far, but said: “We have to collect Rs 160 million, and there is still a long way to go.”
Chinoy said he will make a decision today about seeking an extension from the pirates as he is waiting for a reply from various quarters for donations.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2012.
COMMENTS (2)
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This was never highlighted properly in the media. I never knew about this till yesterday when I read it in Tribune blogs. Again, the deadline was never highlighted in the media. Still trying to deposit some money in the account, but again, the bank NIB doesn't have a lot of branches and is very difficult to access.
I am not trying to criticize here, I sympathise with the family, just that things could have been done differently to make this successful.
Sad to know