Captive Sailors: Ransom money transferred to company owner for final payment

Payment transferred to owner of shipping company.

KARACHI: Ransom money for four Pakistanis in Somali captivity has been transferred to the owner of the shipping company for which the sailors were working.

Ansar Burney, who has been leading the collection campaign to have the sailors, said that a sum of six hundred thousand dollars had been arranged by the Governor of Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebaad and members of the public.

He said that the company would pay the pirates the ransom of $2.1 million dollars.

Burney told Express 24/7 that he would be travelling to Dubai tomorrow, where he will be joined by the Governor Sindh and Citizen Police Liason Committee Chief Ahmed Chinoy on Monday.

Indian parliamentarian KD Singh and the owner of the Shipping Company are already in Dubai.

Naval Captain Wasi was taken hostage along with three other Pakistanis on August 8, 2010 from an Egyptian cargo ship. The pirates are demanding $2.1 million for their release.

The sailors are due to return home later in the month after the ransom is paid on May 16.

Of the amount, the company has paid $1 million, Pakistan is contributing $600, 000 and the Indian government has given $500, 000.