Forty Years Ago, March 4, 1981: Pak Plane Hijacking

Pakistani negotiators began talks today with hijackers who forced a domestic airliner with 148 people aboard to land in Afghanistan and threatened to blow the plane up if their demands for freeing political prisoners are not met. A Pakistani International Airlines official in Kabul said that the negotiators had arrived and already contacted the two or more hijackers who commandeered the Boeing to the Afghan capital. “All the passengers are safe”, the airline officials said. “They are on board. The negotiators have arrived, and they are talking to the hijackers”. According to Radio Kabul, one of the hijackers has asked the Kabul authorities to seek permission from the Iranian government to land the plane in Tehran airport, and Iran’s reply is being awaited.

Farmers’ March

Over 50,000 farmers, farm labour and industrial workers from various parts of Maharashtra marched to the Council Hall here this afternoon to focus the government’s attention on their demand for remunerative prices for farm products.

No Court Fees

A three-member Parliamentary panel has recommended complete abolition of court fees. The panel, a sub-committee of the consultative committee attached to the law ministry, was set up to study the system of court fee. The report was submitted to the Union minister P Shiv Shankar. It said it was the responsibility of the state to provide civil and criminal justice and in any case court fees contribute a negligible percentage of general revenue.

Brezhnev Re-elected

The newly-elected central committee of the CPSU unanimously re-elected Leonid Brezhnev as its general secretary. One third of the committee’s members are new entrants, but the politburo has remained unchanged, the first time since the Revolution.