Ransom Money: As India backs out, Pakistan moves to plug the gap

Money being transferred to Egyptian shipping company owner.

KARACHI: With deadline day approaching and lack of support from the Indian Parliamentarian K.D. Singh, Sindh Governor and the Ansar Burney Trust had to arrange for the remaining ransom amount for the release of not only Pakistani but also Indian hostages.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Ansar Burney, chief of the Ansar Burney Trust, hailed the efforts of Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat ul Ibad and other affluent people in raising an additional 500,000 dollars on short notice to make up the Indian share of the payment. They had already transferred 600,000 dollars last week to the Egyptian shipping company's owner, Abid Elmagaid.

Burney said that the total amount will be transferred to the Egyptian company, whose representatives Burney was due to meet on Monday in Cairo.

As deadline day approached, Burney said that they had yet to see any concrete measures from the Indian parliamentarian K.D. Singh to transfer the promised amount of half a million dollars.

The sum total of $2.1 million, suffered in part by the Egyptian shipping company and Pakistan, would aid the release of four Pakistanis, six Indians, one Sri Lankan and 11 Egyptians. The men had been held hostage aboard their Egyptian vessel since last August.

Burney said that the pirates had threatened to start killing off the hostages one by one if the ransom amount was not paid by May 22.

Burney says his next moves entails transferring the money to the Egyptian shipping company. He said he would travel to Cairo, and then to Aden, Yemen, to ensure the money is transferred and is used for its intended purposes. He would then ensure that the hostages are recovered, and prepare travel arrangements to bring them home.

He said that a special ship for transferring the cash amount was currently being engaged.