Pakistan executes 3 plane hijackers

Pakistan on Thursday executed three men convicted for hijacking a passenger plane in May 1998.

The three men had hijacked a domestic Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft while it was heading to the port city Karachi from Turbat in Balochistan.

The Pakistan security agencies had overpowered the hijackers and had arrested them.

The president had rejected their mercy petitions. The anti- terrorism court's judge, Abdul Ghafoor Memon, had issued death warrant for the convicts last week.

A total of 35 people were on board of a Fokker aircraft when it was hijacked. The hijackers had asked the pilot to take the plane to India.

The pilot had landed it at airport at Hyderabad, a main city in Sindh province as the pilot had told the hijackers that the plane runs short of fuel and that he had landed at the Indian Gujarat state.

Pakistani commandos had stormed the plane in the night and arrested all the three hijackers.

The authorities had stated the hijackers belonged to the Baloch Students Organization.

Officials said Shahsawar Baloch and Sabir Baloch were sent to gallows in Central Jail Hyderabad in Sindh province, while Shabbir Baloch was executed in Central Jail Karachi.

Four more convicts were also executed in different areas of the countries for murders. They were executed in Sahiwal and Sargodha in Punjab, one in Karachi and one in Haripur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.