NEW DELHI: After 10 months in the captivity of Somali pirates, six Indian sailors of M V Suez vessel touched down on home soil on Friday to an emotional welcome from family members.
The sailors came by an Emirates flight from Dubai which landed at IGI Airport at 9.36am and were received by family and friends carrying garlands.
Relatives broke down in tears at the sight of the rescued sailors as their children carried placards that read 'Thank you Ansar Burney uncle, we love you', in a reference to the Pakistani human rights activist who facilitated their release from the sea brigands.
Closely holding his three-year-old son, Ravinder Singh Bhulia, one of the released crew members who hails from Rohtak, said, "Indian and Pakistani media helped us a lot. As far as the Indian government's role in the release, I don't want to comment on it".
With tears rolling down her cheeks, his wife Champa said, "The pain would never go".
Another released crew member Prashant Chauhan said, "I am very happy. I waited for this moment for 10 months".
The Indians were part of the 22 member crew, including four Pakistanis, a Sri Lankan and 11 Egyptians, who were freed last week after ransom was paid to the Somali pirates.
The crew of the MV Suez was brought to Karachi on Thursday by Pakistan Navy warship PNS Zulfiqar, which had picked up sailors from the waters off Oman.The MV Suez had sank somewhere off the coast of Oman after running out of fuel.
There was no government representative to receive them at the airport.
N K Sharma, another released crew member, said, "Whatever Pakistan government has done is really praiseworthy. We don't know what Indian government did or did not but Pakistan government has treated us well."
Recounting his ordeal, Sharma said they starved for many days and on some days they just got water.
"We used to get boiled rice, spaghetti and potato once a week," he said.
Family members of the released men thanked Burney for facilitating the release of the sailors, but complained that the Indian government did little to save the sailors.
toi
The sailors came by an Emirates flight from Dubai which landed at IGI Airport at 9.36am and were received by family and friends carrying garlands.
Relatives broke down in tears at the sight of the rescued sailors as their children carried placards that read 'Thank you Ansar Burney uncle, we love you', in a reference to the Pakistani human rights activist who facilitated their release from the sea brigands.
Closely holding his three-year-old son, Ravinder Singh Bhulia, one of the released crew members who hails from Rohtak, said, "Indian and Pakistani media helped us a lot. As far as the Indian government's role in the release, I don't want to comment on it".
With tears rolling down her cheeks, his wife Champa said, "The pain would never go".
Another released crew member Prashant Chauhan said, "I am very happy. I waited for this moment for 10 months".
The Indians were part of the 22 member crew, including four Pakistanis, a Sri Lankan and 11 Egyptians, who were freed last week after ransom was paid to the Somali pirates.
The crew of the MV Suez was brought to Karachi on Thursday by Pakistan Navy warship PNS Zulfiqar, which had picked up sailors from the waters off Oman.The MV Suez had sank somewhere off the coast of Oman after running out of fuel.
There was no government representative to receive them at the airport.
N K Sharma, another released crew member, said, "Whatever Pakistan government has done is really praiseworthy. We don't know what Indian government did or did not but Pakistan government has treated us well."
Recounting his ordeal, Sharma said they starved for many days and on some days they just got water.
"We used to get boiled rice, spaghetti and potato once a week," he said.
Family members of the released men thanked Burney for facilitating the release of the sailors, but complained that the Indian government did little to save the sailors.
toi
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