SINGAPORE: Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, said in a May 15 post on X that 11 Pakistani nationals and 20 Iranian nationals who had been on vessels seized by the United States had been released.
The vessels had been near Singaporean waters, and Pakistan had reached out to Singapore earlier this month to help facilitate the repatriation of the seamen.
Mr Dar, who is also Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, expressed thanks to Vivian Balakrishnan, his counterpart in Singapore, as well as to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the government of Singapore, for their part in the matter.
“All individuals are in good health and high spirits. The welfare and well-being of Pakistanis abroad, particularly those in distress, remains our government’s highest priority,” he wrote.
At the time of his post, the seamen who had been on the vessels had reached Bangkok from Singapore and boarded the flight scheduled to reach Islamabad on the evening of May 15. From there, the Iranian nationals proceeded to their homeland.
Mr Dar said he was grateful for the continued support and engagement that Singapore had extended during the process of facilitating the release of the seamen.
He also thanked Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi as well as the United States’ government for “close coordination in facilitating the smooth return of 31 Pakistani and Iranian nationals,” tagging US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Mr Dar thanked Thailand for facilitating the transit of the 31 seamen, tagging Sihasak Phuangketkeow, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, as well as the Pakistani agencies for their efforts in helping coordinate the release and “ensuring the smooth, safe, and successful completion of the repatriation process.”
Vessels seized by the US
The war in the Middle East, which started on Feb 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, has resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping chokepoint, especially for energy.
A number of vessels that have endeavoured to transit through the Strait have been seized by both the United States and Iran, including the M/V Touska container ship, which belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group, on April 19. Six crew members were freed on April 29, and 22 others were brought to Pakistan and then onto Iran. The ship was also brought to Pakistan for repairs and then returned to IRISL.
On April 23, an oil tanker, the M/T Majestic X, was also seized by forces from the United States. /TISG
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