Incident Overview
On 30 January 1971, an Indian Airlines Fokker F27 named Ganga was operating a scheduled flight from Srinagar to Jammu. Two individuals, later identified as Hashim Qureshi and his cousin Ashraf Qureshi, seized control of the aircraft. The hijackers, members of the National Liberation Front (NLF), forced the crew to divert the flight to Lahore Airport in Pakistan.
Hijacking and Aftermath
After landing at Lahore, the hijackers released all passengers and crew members without reported harm. The aircraft remained at the airport for three days before being set on fire and destroyed. Pakistani authorities reportedly arrested the two hijackers following the incident.
Identification of Perpetrators
The hijackers were later identified as Hashim Qureshi and his cousin Ashraf Qureshi, both associated with the Kashmiri separatist National Liberation Front. The motive was believed to be related to the Kashmiri independence movement, although no further details were provided in initial reports.