Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud today said the government is trying to free both the hijacked Bangladeshi flagged ship MV Abdullah and its hostage sailors from the clutches of Somalian pirates as soon as possible.

Hasan, also Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League (AL), told journalists that the government has taken initiative to rescue the hostage ship and 23 sailors from the pirates. He was talking to journalists after joining a memorial meeting of late AL leaders of Rangunia upazila as chief guest here this evening.

Upazila AL organized the meeting and doa mahfil for its late leaders Wakil Ahmad Talukder, Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Kazi Jasim and Nurul Karim Baby Chowdhury at Advocate Nuruchchafa Talukdar Auditorium of Rangunia Municipality.

Hasan Mahmud said an inter-ministerial meeting was held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday and the government is taking necessary efforts to free the ship and its sailors properly through the P&I club.

“But we don’t want to say what process we are going through, because it’s not something to make public. But our efforts are to free both the sailors and the ship as soon as possible,” said the foreign minister.

He said another ship of the same company was also hijacked in 2010. “It took 100 days to release it. We are making our efforts in various ways, Inshallah we will be able to rescue the ship and sailors like past,” he added.

Upazila AL Acting President Abdul Monaf Sikdar presided over the function, while Chattogram University Pro-VC Sekander Hossain Chowdhury, Upazila Chairman Swajan Kumar Talukdar, Zilla Parishad member Abul Kashem Chishti and Mayor Shahjahan Sikder, among others, spoke as special guests on the occasion.