1981 Indian Airlines hijacker Gajinder Singh reveals his location in Pakistan; Details inside-

Islamabad, Sept 7: Though the Pakistan government denies his presence in Pakistan, Gajinder Singh, an accused involved in the hijacking of a 1981 Indian Airlines flight, revealed his current location which was in Pakistan's Punjab province.

 

This came after the location of the fugitive terrorist got revealed after he posted an image of himself, posing for the camera in front of a gurudwara, on his Facebook profile. The hijacker had uploaded his image on Monday.

 

 

In the photo, Singh, known as the co-founder of the radical organisation Dal Khalsa, was seen standing in front of Pania Sahib Gurudwara at Hasal Abdal in Pakistan's province of Punjab.

 

 

 

Five Dal Khalsa militants led by Gajinder Singh hijacked an Indian Airlines Boeing 737 domestic flight from Delhi's Palam Airport to Amritsar's Raja Sansi Airport on September 29, 1981. There were 111 passengers and 6 crew members on board the plane, which was taken to Pakistan's Lahore.

 

 

Their demand was the establishment of a separate State for Sikhs. The hijacking was led by Gajindra Singh, whose recent images have appeared in Pakistan. The hijackers not only demanded the release of another terrorist, and the leading face of the Khalistani movement, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, but also spoke with the Indian envoy to Pakistan, Natwar Singh, demanding a sum of USD 500,000.

 

The hijackers underwent a trial in Pakistan and were sentenced to life imprisonment by a court. However, they were released from jail and allowed to walk free in October 1994. Reports suggest that Singh had been on the country's most wanted list during 2002 and the Indian government has repeatedly tabled requests to Islamabad seeking his deportation.