Plane denied landing permission: captain

By Amit Baruah

ISLAMABAD, FEB. 3. The captain of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A-300, carrying the Army Chief, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, from Colombo to Karachi on October 12 last year, feared the aircraft could have crashed.

Deposing as a prosecution witness in Mr. Rehmat Hussain Jaffry's anti-terrorism court in Karachi today, Capt. Syed Sarwat Hussain said the air traffic control (ATC) at the Karachi airport refused permission for the aircraft to land anywhere in Pakistan.

The then Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, and six of his associates have been charged with hijacking, conspiracy, kidnapping and attempt to murder by allegedly ordering that the plane not be allowed to land in Pakistan.

The pilot said when he contacted the Karachi ATC, he was immediately asked about how much fuel remained and whether he could fly to an alternative airport.

The ATC also refused permission for the aircraft to land in Nawabshah, the normal alternative to Karachi. ``I advised them I had 198 souls on board and a limited amount of fuel.''

Capt. Husain said he told the airport authorities: ``If we are not allowed to land at Karachi or Nawabshah, we will lose this aircraft and that will be the end of the story.''

The pilot was quoted as saying that he informed Gen. Musharraf's security officers inside the plane about the situation they were faced with. ``Instructions from the Karachi ATC were conflicting and had created a state of confusion,'' Capt. Hussain told the Karachi special court.

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Section  : International
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