Three young men hijacked a Pakistani airplane on Sunday, March 24, in a desperate demand that Pakistan's government not test nuclear weapons.  The three, all from the majority Baloch ethnic group of the southern Balochistan province, where the Pakistani test site is located, are members of the Baloch Students Organization.  They asked to fly to India, but the plane was forced to land in Hyderabad, Pakistan, where security forces overpowered the hijackers after an 8-hour stand-off. Associated Press reported that all 29 passengers were freed unharmed and one hijacker was slightly injured, but gave no further details about the current legal status of the hijackers.

AP also quoted the province's Chief Minister: "Why was Baluchistan selected for the nuclear test?" asked Akhtar Mengal.  ``We are already facing a lot of problems, and a nuclear test will only make our situation worse.''

On May 28, Pakistan detonated five nuclear weapons underground.

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last updated July 10 1998