Pakistani pilot killed
Bengali army officer hijacks plane to India
CHANDIGARH, January 4.-A Pakistani reconnaissance plane forcelanded near Hoshiarpur this afternoon and a captured army officer on board the plane claimed he had hijacked the aircraft, the Deputy Commissioner of Hoshiarpur, Mr. V. K. Khanna, told PTI tonight.
A second Lietenant, the officer gave his name as Humayun Raza, and said he was a Bengali belonging to Pabna in Bangladesh.
He told the district authorities he had force-landed the plane, a L19 two-seater aircraft, after killing the West Pakistani pilot, Major. Qasim.
The body of Major Qasim, which bore bullet marks, has been sent for post-mortem, Mr. Khanna said.
Mr. Khanna told the PTI that the plane landed at the village of Maili, 28 kms. from Hoshiarpur at 1430 hours today.
Lt. Raza told the district authorities that the plane had taken off from Mianwali in West Pakistan at 1230 hours and after sometime he had asked Major Qasim to fly to India.
SCUFFLE IN PLANE
The major first thought that it was a joke but when Lt. Raza whipped out a pistol, there was a scuffle between the two in which the major was shot dead, according to Lt. Raza.
He then piloted the plane to India.
Lt. Raza, who was unhurt, said that he had never been treated well by the Pakistanis and that was why he was looking for an opportunity to go to Bangladesh. He said he had received flying training at the Dacca Flyinb Club.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 05. 01. 1972