Pilot of Indian Airlines hijacked to Pakistan in 1971 passes away

New Delhi : Captain M K Kachru, pilot of Indian Airlines hijacked to Pakistan by two militants in 1971, passed away in Faridabad. He was 93 years old.

He was flying an Indian Airlines plane with 24 passengers and 4 crew members when two Kashmiri militants hijacked it and forced him to fly to Pakistan.

Then Pakistan foreign minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto hailed the militants who demanded release of Pakistani prisoners in exchange of life of the passengers.

Their demands were straight away refused by the India.

Though the passengers and the crew were transported back to India by land route via Amritsar, the plane was set on fire.

India had hit back by banning overflights of Pakistani aircraft in Indian airspace.