Pakistan Foreign Minister Visits UK to Secure Hijacked Sailors

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will conduct an official five-day visit to the United Kingdom from August 24 to 28, 2026. The diplomatic mission focuses on bilateral relations and the rescue of 10 Pakistani crew members currently held by Somali pirates aboard the MT Honour 25 oil tanker, which was hijacked near Puntland on April 21.

Dar is scheduled to meet with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and FCDO Minister of State for Pakistan Stephen Doughty. A primary objective of the trip is a meeting with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization to coordinate the release of the detained sailors.

Beyond the maritime crisis, Dar will meet with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and engage with British parliamentarians and the British-Pakistani community. The visit follows a June agreement in which the United Kingdom committed £8 million to assist Pakistan in combating crime and illegal migration.