Syed Ali Shah, News Desk:
Quetta: Abdul Manan Ghbizei, who attempted to hijack a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Karachi to Quetta in 1988, has finally walked free after spending nearly 37 years behind bars.
His release was made possible when Saturday Welfare Group (SWG), a Karachi-based philanthropic organisation, paid his fine of approximately Rs 1 million.
The organisation works across Pakistan to help undertrial and convicted prisoners who remain in jail simply because they cannot afford fines. SWG also provides essential support inside prisons, including medicines, clean drinking water, and sanitation facilities.
According to prison officials, Manan was a difficult inmate during his early years, often clashing with fellow prisoners and trying to incite unrest against jail authorities. He was eventually shifted to Khuzdar jail. Over time, however, his behaviour changed, and he began to show remorse for his past actions. “He would often say that he had committed the biggest mistake of his life,” said one senior prison officer who looked after him.
Belonging to the Ghbizei sub-tribe in Balochistan’s Qilla Abdullah district, Manan was in his youth when he tried to hijack the PIA plane. Security forces quickly overpowered him, and he was handed over to police. The motive behind the hijacking attempt was never fully established. At that time, Pakistan was under military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq, while the Afghan war between the Soviet Union and the United States was at its peak.
Manan spent nearly four decades in prison — his youth, middle age, and the beginning of old age all behind bars. Now, as a free man, questions linger: will he live quietly as an ordinary citizen, or will he finally speak about the reasons that pushed him towards one of Pakistan’s most unusual failed hijacking attempts?