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Neerja Bhanot plane hijackers freed

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday freed four Palestinians convicted of the 1986 hijacking of an American airliner in Karachi that ended with the death of 22 persons including an Indian flight purser Neerja Bhanot, who helped passengers aboard escape.

The hijackers, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, were set free from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and put on an international flight to the Gulf region, local TV channels reported.

A group of Palestinians hijacked a Pan Am Boeing 747 carrying 400 passengers while it was being parked at the apron in Karachi in September 1986. The cockpit crew escaped through the emergency hatch but senior flight purser Bhanot stayed on, helping passengers escape.

Twenty-two persons, including Bhanot, died when Pakistani commandos stormed the flight to end the 16-hour siege. Bhanot was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously by the Indian government. She was at that time the youngest and till date the only woman Ashok Chakra awardee. One of the hijackers, who was injured in the commando operation, died in jail. — PTI

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