Express News screengrab of Captain Mirza Nauman Baig.
Four other Pakistani crew members - Mohammad Mehdi Shamsi, Syed Asif Hassan, Naik Zada and Mohammad Irshad - returned to Pakistan today as well at the Karachi airport. Shamsi, while speaking to the media at the airport, revealed that 17 bombs were fired at the oil tanker out of which two of them hit it. He added that he had been given a new life as he had escaped death.
The Morning Glory oil tanker, owned by Dubai-based Saud Shipping, had set off to Tunisia on February 25 but its owners had told the crew to move towards Libya. At a Libyan port, the vessel and the crew were taken over by Libyan rebels, who had stolen national oil worth $20 million and loaded it on Morning Glory in a bid to sell it.
Taking the crew hostage, the armed Libyans had forced them to move the ship out of the country’s territory and sail towards Cyprus.
Captain Mirza Nauman Baig, while speaking to the media at the Lahore airport today, refused to disclose details regarding the incident saying that it can jeopardise the safety of the remaining crew members of the oil tanker still in Libya.
He added that till all the crew members do not return to their homes it was his responsibility to ensure their safety.
He further stated that efforts were being made for the release of the other crew members and he also expressed gratitude to the president of Pakistan for his help throughout this situation.
The captain also stated that the chief officer, Ghuffran Marghoob, was yet to be handed over to the Pakistani authorities by the Libyan government as he was assisting the Libyan authorities in offloading the vessel.
Taking action
The Libyan government had appealed to the US to take action against the rebels after which the US Navy Seals conducted a raid, took the rebels into their custody, and brought the crew and the vessel back to Libya.
Distressed families of the hostages had appealed to the president of Pakistan for the crew’s release. Following the appeals from the families, President Mamnoon Hussain had directed the foreign office and Pakistan’s ambassador to Libya to ensure the release and safe return of the Pakistani crew members.
US promise
Captain Baig arrived at his him in Lahore and while speaking to the media at his residence he stated that he assured his crew members that they were safe when the US saved them.
The captain also said that "State Department of America and the US Navy promised that all my crew members will reach their homes safely."
"I would like to remind them of their promise. Please give some more effort to this so that all my crew members cannot return home safely," he requested.
COMMENTS (4)
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I congratulate the crew and their family members on their safe return.ET we did not expect mistakes of proof reading from a leading English news papers, read the last sentence of the news the meaning have been completely changed.
ET please proofread the article before publishing it. In the last sentence, I believe the captain wanted his crew members to reach home safely.
@Americium
Yes first the y create the rebels and then save people from their wrath and become heroes in the eyes of public. Wait, don't all politicians do that?
Americans always help simple humans like us in need. But our religious leaders poison our minds against them. We should ask them today but any Muslim country dare to conduct raid against these rebels.