Sir: We all know how Somali pirates make their living by abducting innocent people and forcing their respective governments to pay ransom. What we should also know is that our water routes are part of their ‘hunting ground’ and if any country is at high risk of getting into yet another difficulty, this time because of piracy, it is us. On September 23, 2014, a German-American journalist was set free by Somali pirates after being held for more than two years and it is being said that many are still in captivity as they were unable to pay the ransom the pirates were demanding. What I cannot understand is how we can be living in the modern age and still be unable to counter such archaic criminal methods as piracy? What is needed now is that we deal with such crises through cooperation and devise an effective strategy that will help future generations to counter this menace. SYEDA FERZEB SAKHAR ZAIDIKarachi