For six Indian sailors,who are returning home after spending ten months in the captivity of Somali pirates,help came from an unusual quarter Pakistan. To secure the release of all 22 people on board M V Suez an Egyptian cargo ship part of the ransom was arranged by Ansar Burney,a human rights activist from Pakistan, said Madhu Sharma,wife of M K Sharma,who is one of the sailors on board the hijacked ship. India,meanwhile,welcomed the release of six of its sailors held on board the hijacked merchant vessel. We are happy they have been released and the ship is now moving out, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters here. He,however,parried a question about the role of Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney in securing the release of the 22 crew members,saying,Let us not get into a speculative analysis on who is behind it and who is provoking it. Somali pirates released the crew members after ransom was paid to them,Burney had said yesterday. Burney,who negotiated with the pirates and raised money through donations,said in Karachi that all hostages had been freed. He said they would reach their homes in a few days as arrangements are being made for their repatriation. Ansar Burney fulfilled the promise made to us that he will secure the release of all sailors on the hijacked ship irrespective of their nationality, she added. The pirates had taken the crew members,including Pakistanis,Egyptians and a Sri Lankan,hostage after capturing the vessel MV Suez last year. Madhu said the money was arranged by Ansar Burney. Of the total ransom of Rs 10 crore,the ship owner had to pay Rs 5 crore and the remaining amount were to be shared by both the governments of India and Pakistan. There was no likelihood for any financial help from Egypt in view of the disturbances there,she added. The 22 sailors on board the hijacked Egyptian cargo ship included six Indians,four Pakistanis,11 Egyptians and one Sri Lankan national. Their ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on August 2,2010. The cargo ship loaded with cement had left Karachi on July 26,2010. However,the family members came to know about the hijacking only after some Indian sailors rang home in February. We met everybody,right from Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi,UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Everybody gave us assurances, Madhu said while referring to her continuous stay at Delhi along with the families of other three sailors seeking help from ruling and opposition politicians. M K Sharma's younger brother Mulakh Raj said India did not contact hijackers on the numbers provided by the families. Madhu said,Burney came from Pakistan to meet us in Delhi and he promised to work for the release of Indian sailors too. She said he had also camped in Egypt for the last 15 days. M K Sharmas is a joint family with aged parents,two married younger brothers,sister,wife and two minor children. We will never forget our 10 month long ordeal we have spent the most difficult time of our lives, the family members said,adding that they spent everyday in fear of hearing some bad news next day. M K Sharmas is a joint family with aged parents,two married younger brothers,sister,wife and two minor children. We will never forget our 10-month long ordeal we have spent the most difficult time of our lives, family members said. At Sharmas house in the industrial township of Bari Brahmana on the outskirts of Jammu city,everybody was eagerly waiting for him. I am happy to hear that my papas ship has been released by the pirates, said Sharmas son Nikhil,10. His sister Nandika,6,who is too young to understand,would often ask him about their father,he said.
