3 May Pakistan: On the 25th of May 1998, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) internal flight, numbered PIA Flight 544, was hijacked just after lifting off. It had taken off from Gwadar and was heading for Hyderabad in Pakistan’s Sindh region. There were 33 people on board the flight, all of whom, plus 5 others in crew formation.
Approximately 10 minutes from departure, three heavily armed men took over the aircraft. One got into the cockpit, while the other two commanded the front and rear of the plane. The hijackers directed the pilot to keep flying straight, which would have led the plane into Indian airspace.
Knowing the danger, the pilot told the hijackers that the aircraft had insufficient fuel to cover a long distance and proposed landing at Bhuj Airport in India. Instead of taking a route to India, he secretly collaborated with Pakistani Air Traffic Control (ATC) in English. The ATC speedily implemented the scheme and made Hyderabad Airport look like Bhuj Airport by substituting indications and raising the Indian national flag.
Pakistani military personnel were also involved in the deception. They referred to one another by Indian names and presented themselves as Indian staff. The aircraft landed at Hyderabad Airport, which had been made to appear as Bhuj.
A fear later developed that the morning Azan (Islamic call to prayer) would give away to the hijackers the fact that they were still within Pakistan. In order not to be detected, the operation was completed before daylight. The hijackers were taken into custody without any trouble.
All three hijackers were subsequently identified as Baloch students. They were sentenced to death in 2015 after a long legal battle. The incident has since been covered in numerous Pakistani web series and documentaries, which have mostly highlighted the resourcefulness of the authorities involved.
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