Somali pirates holding 10 Pakistani crew members hostage have begun directly contacting their families as the hijacking of the oil tanker entered its 42nd day, deepening concerns over the deteriorating condition of the captives.

The pirates have created a WhatsApp group titled “Pakistani Crew Families”, adding one family member of each of the 10 abducted Pakistanis.

On Monday, a video was shared in the group showing all 10 hostages aboard the vessel. In the footage, the captives can be seen alongside two bottles of murky water, which they are reportedly being forced to drink while in captivity.

According to available information, the pirates seized and reformatted the mobile phones of all crew members except the captain’s phone, which remains in their possession. The WhatsApp group was created using that device.

The pirates also established a TikTok account under the identity of the MT Honor 25 vessel, using a group photograph of the Pakistani hostages as the profile picture.

During Eid, the pirates allowed each hostage to briefly speak with his family. Ayesha, the wife of crew member Amin, said her husband told her during a short conversation that the ship’s main engine had

broken down and the oil tanker was now stranded in one location.

She said Amin further revealed that, over the past week, two separate pirate groups had attempted to seize the vessel. However, the pirates currently holding the crew captive successfully repelled both attacks. Gunfire was exchanged during the incidents, and bullets struck the ship, although none of the hostages was injured.

In a video message, hostage Yasir Khan appealed to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the President and the Field Marshal to take concrete steps to secure their release. He said it was becoming increasingly difficult for the Pakistani crew to survive under the prevailing conditions, as food shortages and contaminated drinking water were causing illnesses to spread among the captives.

The oil tanker has now been held by hijackers for 42 days.

Pakistani authorities maintain that diplomatic efforts are underway to secure the release of the Pakistani crew members aboard the Honor 25. However, both the hostages and the pirates have rejected these official claims in videos released previously.

Meanwhile, Qurratul Ain Advocate, director of the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust, said the organisation had contacted both the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement regarding the hostages’ release.

According to her, leaders of both parties assured the trust that the matter would be raised for discussion during the upcoming sessions of the parliament.