Four injured Pakistani crew members of MT Honour 25 and the remains of three colleagues arrived in Karachi on October 4, 2026, HUM News reported.

The return of the surviving Pakistani crew was still incomplete in the latest reporting. Arab News reported on October 5 that three other Pakistani sailors remained aboard the vessel with its captain.

Who has returned to Pakistan?

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the hijacking affected ten Pakistani crew members, according to APP's report of his October 2 statement. Their reported status falls into three groups:

  • Four returned alive: The Foreign Office's October 4 statement, reproduced by HUM News, named the injured returnees as Usman Ghani, Aqeel Khan, Ameen bin Shams and Yasir Khan.
  • Three colleagues' remains repatriated: In its October 1 briefing, the Foreign Office identified the deceased Pakistanis as Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.
  • Three awaiting return: The October 5 Arab News report placed the remaining Pakistani sailors aboard the tanker. Their return date was unconfirmed.

Arab News reported that the injured returnees were taken to hospital. The Ansar Burney Trust's legal adviser told the outlet that the remaining sailors were awaiting clearance from their companies. No company document confirming that explanation was available in the reports reviewed.

From hijacking to repatriation

The chronology separates recovery of the vessel from the crew's subsequent return. The Joint Maritime Information Center's October 1 advisory records the hijacking and recovery dates:

  1. April 21: The Palau-flagged tanker was hijacked off northern Somalia while bound for Mogadishu.
  2. September 29: Puntland Maritime Police Forces recovered the vessel.
  3. October 1: Pakistan's Foreign Office confirmed five crew deaths, including three Pakistanis, and described medical care and return arrangements.
  4. October 2: Dar said three Pakistani crew members remained aboard with the captain.
  5. October 4: Four injured Pakistanis and three colleagues' remains arrived in Karachi. Radio Pakistan reported their travel from Addis Ababa aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-694.

What remains unresolved?

The Foreign Office's October 1 briefing reported four injured crew members overall, including three Pakistanis. Later return reporting identified four injured Pakistani sailors. The available reports do not reconcile the earlier injury tally with the later return cohort.

Accounts also differ over the timing of the deaths. The Puntland Maritime Police Force's account, reported by Arab News on September 29, placed the killings before its operation began. Pakistan's Foreign Office described deaths during recovery. The exact sequence and responsibility remain unresolved.

As of 10 a.m. PKT on October 5, 2026, the available reports gave no confirmed departure date for the remaining three Pakistani sailors.