I request the Pakistani Govt to take immediate steps to bring our people back home safely

Without the usual Indo-Pak banter - I just have a simple question. I am curious how a plane coming from west destined for Pakistan reached Delhi. Wouldn't Lahore or another Pakistani airport be on the way first? I am just curious and would like to know. Please go ahead if you can answer without making it another proxy border war.

something fishy, surly there will be airports in Pakistan where they could have landed the plane, there is also an airport in Amritsar too, much closer to Lahore, what was the point of flying all the way to Delhi?

Hope they sort out the fault quickly..One question though, while coming from Bahrain, Lahore should come prior to New Delhi, shouldn't it???

Pakistan released 172 fishermen from prison held for trespassing our maritime borders and Modi does not let Pakistani passengers women and children temporarily disembark... what a shame...

the headlines should have been PIA failed to respond to stranded passengers or Gulf Air takes longer time to rectify the fault. how India is narrated for blame game in PAK often amuses Indians

Original destination, Lahore, is closer than Delhi on aviation route from Bahrain. Why on earth pilot wanted to divert the flight to Delhi if there was any technical problem? He could have landed in Lahore instead.

Had invested so much in hate in past that these are just return on those investment.I feel sad and ashamed that we did not let children,woman go out of airport and take rest.But it happens when you have large trust defecit that you dont even trust small children :(

It is pity that passengers are not allowed to disembark....

What a joke?

How can PIA management take care of passengers if they are not allowed to disembark. What are indians made of any ways, my o pic and complexed

12 hours in a plane and still waiting. Why Indian govt so hostile to passengers .

This is Modi era: passengers are not allowed to wait in transit lounge, while the plane is repaired! What else one can expect from a Guju!

I condemn the inhuman treatment of passengers by the Indian authorities, whatever their nationality.

I can understand the regulations and what not. Passengers should be able to stay in the transit and not be kept in the plane.

passengers are at New Delhi airport and NOT at Peshawar airport for NS to get so worried.

A friendly welcome to stranded passengers by our "friendly neighbor". India has a bigger area, bigger population, bigger economy, BUT a very small heart.

I feel sorry for the passengers but India's security is important especially when it's a PIA aircraft

Some other story in the back ground. Coming from Bahrain, Lahore will come first. If there really was a technical fault, pilot would have landed at the nearest airport instead of flying over Lahore and going all the way to New Dehli.

What has PIA to do with a fault in a Gulf Air plane? And how come it become a 'responsibility' of PIA Station Manager in Delhi? And what legal obligation moves the Pakistani Aviation Adviser to send a PIA plane? Even if PIA had any airplane to spare, why does not Gulf Air send a plane as it is clearly their responsibility?

This is inhuman and insane. 'World's largest democracy' needs to act a little bit more maturely.

Shameful behavior - If some Western country treats Indian passengers like this - all of India will be in uproar with media falling over each other in condemnation. Compare this situation to how Pakistan treated Indian passengers when the Air India plane had to land in Nawabshah last year.

The surprising thing is that do a Bahrain-Lahore flight pass over India? If it was diverted in Pakistan's airspace it could have easily made it to Islamabad, which is more closer than Delhi.

Sad story.

Outrageous, so the passengers can't even be allowed some respite in the transit lounge? Absolutely outrageous !

What else can you expect from India.

What a neighbourly treatment and then Indian flock here and complaint about every single thing

Wide open discrimination by Indian authority against Pakistani passengers, no regards for children, women old passengers.

This is the new India!

It was 8 hours not 12 and Also they were in Delhi for over 24 hours, given the threat levels govt didn't want to take any risk for first 8 hours, after learning that it will take more time govt allowed them to one of airport longue

Why the plan landed in delhi when Lahore Karachi is closer

I'm an Indian and I'm terribly sorry for such a horrible treatment of passengers from Pakistan. We usually are very kind and welcoming nation but due to lack of professionalism from our officials and politicians such instances occur. Again I'm deeply shocked. If I had the power to make decision, I would fire the concerned airport officials and the ministers with immediate effect.

Something is amiss here. Bahrain is west of Lahore and New Delhi is to the east. If the aircraft was coming from Bahrain, it should have reached Lahore first. So, naturally, the question is why did the aircraft overfly Lahore and kept flying in an easterly direction until it reached Delhi? The navigational aspect of this episode seems highly illogical unless, of course, the intent was to bypass Lahore for New Delhi for reasons other than a technical fault.

Where my Indian friends!!!!

how a plane from Bahrain to pakistan can be diverted to New Delhi? why?

I think they did the right thing.This was unscheduled stop and in India and for security reasons all Pakistani persons are thoroughly checked for background etc. before landing.This has nothing to do with Modi.

Not understood. Flt fm Bahrein to Lahore landed at Delhi. HOW

This is just absurd. The authorities do not move an inch from their guidelines.

I am sure its not Modi but the narrow minded Indian establishment that is the root cause of Pak-India tension. Had they wanted issues would have been sorted out a decade ago.

Where are the 1, 001 Indian commenters who pounce at any news piece that has a negative angle for Pakistan?!!

If this is true (please verify this), then as an Indian I am ashamed of this behavior and can only say SORRY, IT'S INHUMAN!!

Propaganda. Lounge facility was given. Also how did Bahrein to Lahore flt land in Delhi.

Indians would meet the same fate in a Paki airport.

Flying Bahrain to Lahore, how does Delhi fall in the middle? South or North of Lahore there were still options.

This is plain stupidity besides being inhumane. Apologies from an Indian.

Firstly, there are some rules and procedures followed at the IGI airport in New Delhi, it is ranked the second best airport in the world in its category by Airport Council International (ACI), it isn't like some of the other airports in the South Asian region that are international laughing stocks, where smugglers and terrorists can walk around with ease. Hence, some procedures have to be followed and minor delay might ensue as a result. Secondly, may I remind people of the treatment meted out to the passengers of IC 814 by Lahore Airport, before they jump to conclusions about one of the best airports in the world, they should introspect and look at the relative position of their own airports.

why plane diverted&landed in Delhi? supposed to be flying over Pakistan"s air space,...why not landed in Pakistan?

Indians lack any sense of hospitality or concern. Given the opportunity they will continue to make them suffer. It appears to be in their nature. So unfortunate that Pakistan got stuck beside them as a Neighboor.

I remember when an Indian plane made an unscheduled landing at a Pakistani airport. The authorities bent over backwards to facilitate them and passengers were lodged in a 5 star hotel. This is why I never believe in that 'Aman ki Asha' crap .

One can only imagine how pathetic this is? so pity.

When coming from Bahrain how did they reached Delhi when Lahore comes before Delhi??? Seems to be a technical fault with the pilot or ATC

Remember, when Pakistani militants had hijacked Indian plane? this plane while returning from Kandahar was not allowed to use Pakistani airspace! the people inside were suffocating since 3 days (36 hours). India just wanted to save few hours to ensure that the passengers could be treated at the earliest.... Today, India has at least allowed this plane to use its airspace, land the plane on their airport....now to get down and mingle around....you need to have that credibility....

why landed in Delhi? was flying over pakistan`s air space.Air traffic controllers in Pakistan were sleeping?.... sack them along with incompetent CAA chairman...

What, flight going to Lahore is diverted to Delhi what was this pilot thinking?

If Modi can give the plight of Kashmiris as much attention maybe we can break the deadlock thts has persisted for 69 years.

I have cheked the map and am still wondering, how come a flight coming from Bahrian to Lahore, be landing in New Delhi, for technical repairs!

Indian govt should allow the passengers to disembark.... these are not the pakistanis who create problems... the ones that do don't come by plane, they generally cross over in dinghy's !!

A rather weird news item. Bahrain is in west of Pakistan and Delhi is in East of Lahore. How come a plane flying from Bahrain to Lahore had to do emergency landing in Delhi which is not midway but 500km southeast of Lahore. The only countries plane would traverse through are Iran & Pakistan.

This doesn't make any sense, why would a plane travelling from Bahrain to Lahore land in Delhi? even if it has technical issues. That is too far from the course, Islamabad airport may be an alternate airport but Delhi doesn't make sense.

What I don't is why the pilot flew over Pakistan and landed in Delhi? If he had a technical problem he could have landed anywhere in Pakistan. Pak is in between Bahrain and India. Unless he went the other way..lol!

Why did he take the flight to Dehli with 200 Pakistani on board? Didn't he know India will have all sorts of Problem with this? Why not Islamadad instead? Poor decision by captain.

Remember flight ic 814? Did Pakistan Helped Indian passangers?

that proves we trust no one from pakistan

Air India had to go through a similar situation. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2171129/Pakistan-makes-friendly-point-emergency-landings.html Taking care of passengers would have been a good gesture.

If due to technical fault it can land in Dubai, why it didn't land in Lahore?

Very strange. Why a aircraft with technical fault will fly 500 more miles to Delhi. Instead the plane should have landed in Lahore or Karachi ASAP> Something fishy.

@VPSingh - if you know how guju is, than you should have tokd the pilot to land somewhere in arabian sea. And what if terrorist exporting nationals have one terrorist product among them in that plane?

@difusal, so tit for tat is the name of the game. That explains a lot about Indo-Pak relations and the quagmire of the past 67 years and almost seven months. Interesting, too, that this happens just as India's Foreign Minister arrives for talks in Pak. How can the two sides solve far bigger national problems while simple little niggly things like using/refusing passenger the use of a transit facility even when a third-party carrier is involved. No hope.

For god sake it was an technical glitch..pilot made the right decision by going to india instead of pak cos he knows that indian authorities are better equiped to deal with any kind of emergency. And now for the pasengers, indian govt can not take risk of letting pakiatani people to go out and about. We can not trust them you know why...ok make a guess

It seems that Gulf Air has some highly incompetent pilots or the air traffic controllers were seriously not paying attention and may have been asleep on the job. There was no reason for this plane to have landed in India, especially since Lahore is very close in distance to New Delhi. One can't help wonder why this even happened unless the Gulf Air pilot was Indian .....

@difusal Good one! Pakistan did not allow to land our aircraft, even switched off the runaway lights. Pot calling Kettle black here!

@difusal will we keep reciprocating crap? Its time to mend the relations.

This is the epic hatredness, cyncism and hostile relations, and the ugly part is the suffering of common passangers. Indian ambassador must be summoned and be given thrashing. Meanwhile pakistan can stop the over flying rights to indianbased airlines. It is high time to put india at her appropriate place.

Very Sick Mentality, Can only expect this from Indians

Judging by the technical infrastructure to repair planes in Lahore, Pilot took a wise decision of landing in Delhi.

Remember IC 814....Indians were given the same treatment. ..by the way. .It does not make sense...Why would the pilot fly over to Delhi..crossing Pakistan! !

Simple reason is, no body trust Pakistanis.

The aircraft didn't landed in lahore because in case of any in flight glitches they need to land at an airport that is certified by international aviation agency as A+ standard which supports all the emergency landing scenarios and very accurate guidance and anomaly detection and sadly no airport in pakistan is even close to that level. also no airline maintains a repair depot in pakistan except maybe PIA so they couldn't have repaired it in pakistan anyway hence the next best airport which also happens to be one of the most advanced in the world too i.e IGI New Delhi Cheerio....:)

something is fishy here...in case of emergency, it should land ASAP....instead of travelling further 500kms to Delhi...

@@difusal , two wrongs do not make one right. Our forefathers suffered at the time of partition because of frenzy of illiterates and bigots, pseudo religious fanatics. I never expect such treatment from Indian government, a secular country, built on democratic principles and glorious Indian sub-continent history of hospitality and compassion. Indian government shall take stern action against airport authorities.

It is a suspicious move. The plane flew over the whole of Pakistan and Indian Punjab to land at Delhi.

When IC was hijacked did the Pakistani authorities diffuse the problem. Imagine the passengers held at gun point for many days. Feeling pity for the families and childrens. Who is to be blamed? It is the Government's of both countries they don't trust each other. Put an end once for all this problems and resume brotherly relations. The poisoned minds must be shut. What was intended of Pakistan and see its plight today.

What a pity. Look at behavior of the "world's largest democracy".

@Moosa same logic applies when we say 26/11 n u bring up Gujarat which is our intrnl matter...

Well, such an act has never been done by the authorities of India. We should have provided top class services to Bahrain airline's passengers. But I can understand the compulsions of Indian authorities. We are really very sorry my friends. But we cant take any risk. The way Pakistan authorities have spread terrorism in India, and specially after the inhuman act done by kasab and friends at Mumbai railway station and other parts of city, we can't take such a risk. If someone needs to be blamed then it should be the Pakistani govt who has left its citizens with no options in this world but to get humiliated everywhere. Who knows, there was one more kasab in that flight? We allowed them to land, that's enough. We saved their lives. We cannot kill innocents like Pakistani govt sent kasab to do in India. We love Pakistani people. I know they are our own family members. But we can't risk when it comes to our own nation. Dec 31 2014, too was the date when a Pakistani boat tried to intrude in Indian water again like kasab did. It was our coast guards who stopped it and then the boat blew up itself. If a country has made terrorism its state policy then his should one deal with it? We can give respect to its innocent peoples but on the cost of the lives of our citizens.

@adeel Reason The pilot knew about the facilities available in Lahore to repair the problem

Its utter red tapism, human are trapped aboard. India Govt should not treat ordinary travelers like this. They don't deserve it.

@Moosa why? We lost a lot of lives and terrorist Maulana was released.

Seriously if the Gulf air wanted to take care of the technical fault why are people pointing a finger at the Delhi airport authorities.

Sad 12 hours is way to high Indian authorities should allow them ...if the story is true

@@difusal Remember Air India plane making emergency landing in Nawabshah, Pakistan in July 2012 and on the contrary Pakistani authorities offered to allow passengers to disembark. here is a link to the article from your media source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/air-india-plane-makes-emergency-landing-in-pakistan/article3619350.ece You are comparing apples and oranges here, Ic 814 to was hijacked, the plane did land in Amritsar but was allowed to fly to Lahore by Indian authorities. If authorities in India were so concerned about women and children they would have negotiated their release in Amritsar.

@Ali Ahsan what a stupid reasoning by a stupid Indian.

Not allowed to disembark...Let's see what NS has to say about this.

Indian mentality behind the hype of Aman kee Asha in display for one and all to see.

Those who complain that Indian authorities have not let the passengers off the plane should be thankful that at least they haven't massacred the Pakistanis

What a surprise!

@Ali Ahsan Humiliation of Pakistanis at Delhi airport is a daily affair. Indians treat a part of their own citizens as untouchables what can we expect from them?

What kind of a technical fault was that ...which took the plane so far to Delhi ?

No big deal. Pakistan would have done the same thing. Tough!

Why they went to Delhi even skipping Amritsar....which is the nearest Indian Airport to Lahore !!

When will India start Trusting us ?

Guys, pl. don't give this an India-Pak nonsensical tinge. There are certain rules which need to be followed, and as an unscheduled flight, it has to be quarantined. But I think, given the duration of this halt, there should have been some alternative arrangements for the passengers (irrespective of any nationality) to make sure they are comfortable and alleviate their pain for no fault of theirs. Rules need to be followed, but exceptions should be invoked when necessary. I had a similar unpleasant situation a few years back on a domestic flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore, when enroute, the pilot announced that there was an incident on the Bangalore runway involving a stray animal which got hit by a landing flight and that aircraft was damaged. So he routed our flight to Chennai, where our flight was quarantined for over three hours, past midnight. While such rules ensure the safety of the airport and other aircraft in any unwarranted situation, for genuine reasons, the passengers from such quarantined aircraft should be provided an alternative. Either way, sorry to my Pakistani friends over this incident, from an Indian. But request you all not to give any of the usual spicy and colorful India-Pak antagonism on this one.

Pakistan also did the same a few years back to a Air India flight. They infact did not allow the passengers to disembark but offloaded the luggage to be checked.

The country whose basis put on communism, violence, HR violation now teaching of HR lesson...

Few Facts that Dawn has got wrong 1. the trauma was for 24 Hours and not 12 hours 2. The passengers remained in the plane for over eight hours, before they were allowed to disembark in the morning. 3. They were all asked to go and sit near Gate no 15 on the transit lounge, where they have remained ever since. 4.After many of the passengers protested, they were allowed lunch at a restaurant and given sandwiches later. 5.According to Pakistan high commission officials, the state airline had offered to charter a plane to take all the passengers back to Lahore, but it was rejected by Gulf Air and Indian authorities. End of day .. it was a Traumatic day for the pakistani friends . .. sincere apologies from an Indian .. "We are really sorry and we mean it"

I am an Indian but this is inhumane really. These are international issues and should be treated on humanitarian ground. why discomfort a common man because of your politics. Remember we also fly, we may sometime need to divert and land in Karachi on the way from Mum to Dubai, now they can do the same. Foolish indeed, on one hand we are shouting peace peace peace, on the other we are kicking in the face of such situations. Pathetic

No repair facilities anywhere in Pakistan ??? Or may be Gulf Air does not trust Pakistanis, may be they will put a bomb in the plane. Sad country, sad passengers. No trust anywhere in the world.

Was this a technical fault in plane's GPS or in Air traffic controllers' prescription medicine

Trust deficit is causing the problem. Who knows, if they are allowed to disembark and some bad incidents happen. Can't rule out. By the way my knowledge of geography tells that India does n't come between Gulf region and Pakistan.!

@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad...IF YOU CONSIDER THIS JOKE...then plz read below incidence of IC814 HIJACK PLANE and how the lahore airport officials acted...plz read this...The aircraft was hijacked by gunmen shortly after it entered Indian airspace at about 17:30 IST. Hijackers ordered the aircraft to be flown to several locations. After touching down in Amritsar, Lahore and Dubai, the hijackers finally forced the aircraft to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which at the time was controlled by the Taliban. Due to extremely low fuel level, the aircraft requested an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan initially denied the request. Pakistan also shut down their air traffic services, thus effectively blackening the whole of Pakistan airspace for the Indian Airlines flight and switched off all lights at Lahore Airport.[4] With no help from ATC, Captain Sharan banked on his visual instincts and began descending on what he thought was a runway only to find out that it was a well-lit road and aborted landing the aircraft in time.[5] On understanding that the only other option for the aircraft was to crash land, Lahore Airport switched on its lights and allowed the aircraft to land. Lahore airport officials refuelled the aircraft and allowed it to leave Lahore at 22:32 IST. Pakistani officials rejected the pilot's request to offload some women and children passengers due to tense relations with India.

@Ali Ahsan Pity on your cover up....

Don't you think its a good gesture from India that they allowed this plane to land.

stop flying by such stupid airlines...whose pilots have no idea where to land in emergency , could be iran or uae but why india where humanity is nver shown to pakistani pessengers. very bad show GULF AIR....

Sends wrong message. I think Indian foreign affairs shall pitch in. Humanity first. Indian from Tamilnadu.....

good decision by indian authorities. it is the same as in the US.

It is matter of national security. India can't compromise. It is a emergency landing, India atleast shown its human side to allow its landing. Just remember the time when Hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 not allowed landing in Pakistan. Due to that refusal plane may met with accident too. So, Please no moral lecture.

@VPSingh Please be respectful. The founding father of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah was also Gujarati. Don't insult him by using derogatory term.

@Moosa India allowed flight o land in Delhi.She provided maintenance support.Its not like people in plane are starving. Not every flight is allowed to use transition lounge.Even for Indian,it is not uncommon to wait for hour in connecting flights.And that is exactly why we say you need two hands to clap,If Pakistan had not been too critical towards India,all the passengers could have been provided visa on arrival like other 150 nations for sightseeing.

What nonsense on the part of Gulf Air. Original destination Lahore is much closer then New Delhi? Why pilot decided to take aircraft to New Delhi, this needs to be investigated and Gulf Air should compensate the passengers for this misdeed of the Pilot.

Hey Pakistani Brother, its very easy to blame others. !!! 1st of ATC personnel over all Pakistani station were sleeping that time .So nobody responded to the frantic calls from the pilot !! Indian responded . So the flight crossed all the way through Pakistan and landed in Delhi. Secondly, as it was a unscheduled arrival, So there is security concern for the host country , to embark all the passengers from the plane. Last but not least, Pakistan authority in India or Pakistan did not approach to the concerned Indian authority to take right actions .You know how competent and prompt the Pak authorities are in this kind of situation !!

Something is fishy. There must be some reason behind this. It is better to be careful than to be sorry.

Why the posters fail to understand a simple fact that people from unfriendly countries are not welcome in India, moreover, they are not invited. Please also look into the past how hospitable was Pakistan during ic814. So chill and thank India that the authorities have allowed the plane to land in Delhi for repair. However, india would have allowed the passengers to disembark if they were Iranians, Bangladeshi, Srilankans, Afghans or even Chinese.

@Omar They are uninvited

People commenting here about Indian empathy towards passengers, should know about the International aviation rules first. "Unless there is direct threat to life, no one is allowed to disembark from the plane other than their original destination. Not even cabin crews." If there would be a sick or injured person on the board, only they will be allowed. This is the norm if you travel internationally. Don't take it otherwise. And yes the valid question remains, how come Delhi comes before Lahore on the way from Bahrain?

@Kakakhel It seems 'world's largest democracy'term is hurting you very much. What this incidence has to do with democracy? Or may be you don't know what democracy means.

@Jason its a Gulf Aircraft.. not PIA

@Ali Ahsan This was not PIA but a Gulf Air flight. Stupidity of the pilot that it took the flight to a longer destination due to technical fault, risking the lives of passengers onboard. Look who is talking on smugglers...lol. Just feel sad and ashamed that the world's best airport could not accommodate TEMPORARILY children and woman for taking some rest within its premises. This reflects the mindset and hospitality of a country.

So called largest democracy in world failed to even respond to small courtesy gesture by allowing stranded Pakistanis out of plain.Worthless nation with leaders spitting gestures of hate all time.Shame and shame

Shameful act by Indian authorities, are these innocent children and women terrorists?

@Global Citizen Only the pilot can answer this.

Special PIA flight ? Does PIA possess spare aircrafts ? If so then why its flights are delayed on many reasons, including technical reasons ? Why not use spare aircraft when there is technical reason for delay in any flight ?

Sad plight of the passengers. I wish this was an isolated incident but it isn't. A friend of mine works for an airline. Once enroute to India from Dubai a passenger developed a cardiac condition. Since Karachi was the closest landing point, a landing was requested but was denied when the Pakistani ATC discovered the passenger was Indian. I wish the Indians/ gulf air had treated the Pakistan bound passengers better. In this race of hate we all forget that above all we are humans..

@Global Citizen may be the facility to repair the said not so major technical fault is only available in Delhi in the region

@Gareeb Pakistani You will have to earn that trust

DAWN, All the passengers of the aircraft were accommodated in the transit lounge of the T3.

@Ahmed USA Don't get over emotional. India do release your fishermen. Also not allowing disembarkment is a standard practice which even Pakistan follows. I am sure, the communication must not be that the plane cannot be fixed before 24 hrs. Staff must have taken time in chunks. People do spends more then 12 hrs in flights. I am sure water, food, medical help is no issue here.

@Vipin its just the narrow minded Hindu side of "secular" India. What bad do you expect from those passengers including children, women and elderly. Is Indian airport security so compromised that they expected show down from passengers who were checked for weapons, etc. before allowed to go on board? Shame on those responsible for this fiasco. No wonder the CBMs we often talk about stands not for Confidence Building Measures rather its Continental Ballistic Missiles.

@Kakakhel instaed of monitoring the behavior of largest democracy work towards having democracy in your counrty

@Barry plane stupidity?

@Global Citizen valid question, thanks for highlighting on behalf of many.

The pilot asked for permission and Delhi gave it, meaning that they found his request to land in delhi instead of Lahore or Amritsar reasonable for whatever reason. perhaps gulf has bigger facilities to handle the fault in delhi. But to give permission to land and then not to let women and children off the plane is strange. remember, it is a gulf air flt, not a PIA one. so chances that this is a staged drama by pilot are remote

It's bcoz Gulf Air doesn't have repair facility in Pakistan :)

@Global Citizen I got the answer. Modi has hijacked it to coerce Pakistan to give more oil to India. That clever Moddi

@Pavas Ambashta I guess the plane was coming from the other way round. As you know, when Gailailio, proposed that the Earth is round. It created many problems.

Remember IA Highjack? Pakistani authorities even switched off the Runway lights. Still confused why Delhi T3? IT TRAVELS ALMOST 660 km bypassing whole Pakistan? why

@Qamar Small transit lounge too.

If you check the weather over Lahore, which is experiencing torrential rains, you will understand why the Gulf Air pilot diverted to Delhi instead of attempting to land at Lahore. I don't know what is the technical problem, but if the aircraft's weather radar was out, the pilot took the right decision.

@jason.........be careful boy........dont fly so high because soon u r going to find out that shining india is just a bubble ..........it will burst open your expectations.......on another note similar incidennt could happen to indian passengers.......stop being so narrow minded

@apoorva Not true, they were given a royal treatment in nawabshah recently. At least have the decency to acknowledge.

@ninad Please check your facts. Karachi is much farther than New Delhi. But Islamabad, Sargodha, Multan are much closer.

It was 8 hours not 12 hours.

how come plane coming from west have to crossed over Pakistan to land in New dehli. ???

ANSWER is Delhi airport has better facilities for fixing tehnical problem, refueling and more runways to take off and emergency landing. we all know pakistan comes first when we fly from bahrain. remember 1999 when terrorists hijacked indian plane and took it to kandahar,afghanistan. they stopped the plane at amritsar airport for refueling . they could have stop the plane at any pakistani airport but they knew pakistani airport have no facilities.

@Jason Its not PIA flight. Atleast read the news befoe commenting

Bahrain to Lahore and Delhi came in the way.... the pilots slept off that long?? Anyways, the decision to keep passengers on board if it's a minor snag or request disembarkation has to be made by the pilot - let's not get excited!

@Global Citizen there was another move of GULF AIR yesterday when baby died onboard flight from bahrain to kochi india was landed in abu dhabi which is off route... what kind fo expert gulf air pilots are..

@Global Citizen Airlines make alternative landing options available to their flight crew based on facilities available on different airports. The flight was diverted from Lahore to Delhi based on such criteria. An aircraft on its way to Ahmedabad, India might turn around and land at Karachi if it developed a fault over Gujrat, rather than being diverted to Mumbai. It is usual and nothing to worry about or blame on anyone.

They are not sitting ducks in the plane , authorities have allowed the passengers inside the transit lounge and refreshment has been provided.

A reflection of Indian govt. Modi's hatred to Pakistanis, and the cause of his being in power. Majority of Indians proved in 2013 how much they support fundamentalism and hatred towards Muslims, but then again realizing they made a mistake, see the poll results at New Delhi. Modi, you would be known as the biggest traitor to Indian nation and to the sub-continent in the history to come!

@meow true..!

in kandahar, indians were made to sit in the aircraft for a week.

So you expect India to allow them to roam on airport. This type of request generally made by flight attendants when they feel it would take time. Even they have refused PIA to carry a plane to flight them back. So, seem like Gulf airline has taken little notice of these passengers.

According to Indian media, after 8 hours of sitting inside the plane, they were allowed to move into the lounge..... This is both a failing on the part of gulf air as well as the Delhi airport authorities. Gulf-air should have atleast coordinated with the Indian authorities and moved them to a hotel nearby. This sort of situations happen often enough....the authorities should have been prepared for this contingency.

Shame on Indian government.

Hey Pakistani Brother, its very easy to blame others. !!! 1st of ATC personnel over all Pakistani station were sleeping that time .So nobody responded to the frantic calls from the pilot !! Indian responded . So the flight crossed all the way through Pakistan and landed in Delhi. Secondly, as it was a unscheduled arrival, So there is security concern for the host country , to embark all the passengers from the plane. Last but not least, Pakistan authority in India or Pakistan did not approach to the concerned Indian authority to take right actions .You know how competent and prompt the Pak authorities are in this kind of situation !!

I think if there was some problem in the plane, Karachi should have been the first airport that should have come to the pilots mind! or even Kandahar! wonder what made the pilots to land in New Delhi which is at a much more greater distance from Bahrain!.

Now at least they can claim New Delhi returned. it will embellish the travel record

After seeing the ordeal of 214 Innocent passengers Govt of INDIA could have given permission for Pakistani nationals to stay in 5 Star Hotel n Delhi for time being as a goodwill gesture.

Note to self: Avoid Gulf Air.

Wrong reporting by dawn...the passenger were allowed to rest in a section of lounge of IGI airport, they were not allowed to disembark for 8 hrs due to security clearence.

@Saqlain Altaf Naseeb They may be trying to ascertain that

Don't cry Pakistani friends, remember "Indian Airlines Flight 814". You guys didn't even allowed to land it for passengers treatmet on your soil. Kabhi kabhi apne girebaan me bhi jhaank liya karo.

To me it looks like Pakistani airports don't have good maintainence support with international airline like Gulf Airlines and that's why they preferred Delhi instead of Pakistani airport As this is an unscheduled and not a cleared flight, passengers in these scenario's are not allowed to dis-embark unless there is an emergency or big problem with the plane.

@Jason Really is this your argument for such an inhumane treatment of other human beings? How does passengers in transit lounge put mighty Indias security at stake? Indian government and its internet trolls are the worst scums on the face of this planet, ready to justify any kind of behavior by their government and the audacity to blame others for it. No shame is left in these people.

Where's human rights watch SAHIb ???? Where is UNO? ???? Where are international air flight regulations

@Ahmad Bukhari Wow...you are comparing a hijacking to a technical fault! You should be given a honorary membership of MENSA

people who comment here first study the aviation route.Pakistani airports come first.why they had to divert to Delhi surpassing all Pakistan airports.I feel the repair is possible in Delhi, not in other Pakistan airports for this particular problem. But something is rotten!

@Manjeet kocchar hahahaha,....look who is talking about trust.

@Amit fyi Karachi and Lahore airports have world class airports. If you don't know then, please don't write such comments. I think whatever has happened is because of the tense relationship we have. Both countries should be courteous when dealing with women and children.

@Jason Not PIA, Gulf Air

pakistan has no role in this matter since its a gulf plane and landed in delhi. this is only between indians and gulf airways to work out somr solution. Pakistan will not be allowed to ferry out the passengers even if they are its citizens. International rules don't allow this. Also what happens to other passengers who are of other nationalities if Pakistan is allowed to fly its people out of Delhi. Pakistan and its people must relax. No need to over act

"Pakistanis not allowed to disembark". Arrangements for disembarking would be the duty and responsibility of Gulf Air and not the Indian authorities. They need to issue requests to the Indian or to any airport authorities and only then can arrangements be made. If Gulf Air was unwilling to make arrangements, as the same would cost them, what can the Indian authorities do about it. Dawn should publish articles after making proper inquiry about the facts rather than making provocative statements.

Strange no news in the Indian press about the plane

I think India reserves the right to be suspicious of Pakistan just like we do not trust India . I am surprised by the way that no one has used the word "conspiracy theorist" here when speculation is rife about why PIA plane landed in Delhi. If it had been an Indian plane ending up at Lahore airport , any similar speculation would be been derisively labelled as "Conspiracy theories" instantly.

Pilot is responsible for his plane. Any decision made by him/her is correct. We can not challenge that unless we know the facts. Instead blaming India, look at ourselves, our moral, our dignity. We talk Indian, we watch Indian we buy Indian. Then what else we could expect from India. Be a nation with moral and dignity. Are we?

This looks fishy. A flight coming in from Bahrain to Lahore will go over Multan and Faisalabad before reaching Lahore. Flight could have landed at any of these airports. Why go East and all the way to Delhi?

@Gnanesh If only more people would learn to think as neutrally as this . We , at Pakistan, are not seeking apologies . The air craft had to make an emergency diversion and that really is the end of the matter for both sides . But as usual, everything gets blown out of proportion ( by both sides) when it's about Pakistan and India.

@citizen @apoorva cuz its time to mend the relations! we continue to lose lives in Balochistan where India finances the anit-state forces...but its time to mend and stop the proxy wars!

@Pratik, Vipin, Jason, The story as narrated is not true. For first 8 hour permission to disembark was witheld. When it became clear that the technical fault will take longer, passengers were allowed to disembark. Do you also not find it strange that a flight from Bahrain to Lahore full of Pakistani passengers (and potentially a Pakistani pilot) was diverted to New Delhi? Proper checks needed o be made before permitting disembarkation. If something had happened due to lack od due dilligence, you would have been the first one to blam Indian Government.

@Insanely Atheist its good that India provided support etc. A step in the right direction. People shouldn't suffer and they have due to the bad air between India and Pak. We keep hearing threats from your Army Generals...not once has our General uttered such nonsense. And I speak of these modern times where Loyalists are trying to get the 2 nations back on track. Lets revive the love and move forward. India cant grow without peace in the region. Its time we all realize that peace in good for both of us.

@babul "I remember when an Indian plane made an unscheduled landing at a Pakistani airport" Are you thinking of Pan Am flight in 1986? Lot of water under the bridge since then. Please remember what happened to IC 184. Also disembarkation was not permitted for first 8 hours after which when it became clear that faukt would take longer, it was permitted. Please also recognize that it is quite suspicious that a flight from Bahrain to Lahore would be diverted to New Delhi due to a technical fault. That needed to. Be investigated propery before allowing permission to disembark.

@Ahmed USA who knows there can be ISI backed terrorists on board..they might initiate firing on the delhi airport..!! As u know our security is our responsibility..!! We can trust Mr. sharif but not ISI..!!

@Khurram Given the proven track record of Pakistani establishment's nuisance and terror activity in past and present, it is a must precaution for Indian authority as it may cause some unsolicited activity.

The Indians have a very small heart, they dont deserve to be a world power,tit for tat reaction shows that Indians and Pakistan are at par, look at the comments of ordinary indians, just for face saving they are studying deeply the route between Lahore and New Delhi without knowing the complexities of avionics, their are many factors in changing route and for saving lives of passengers the pilot can disembark plane in any place where he finds appropriate

@Niaz aviation rules make it clear that unless there is a threat to life. Disembarkation even of cabin crews must not be permitted at an alternaive destination. In any case disembarkation was witheld for 8 hours. At that time, it became clear that problem wold take longer and passengers were permitted to disembark. The trust deficit between the 2 countries has a very long history. Surely you are not unaware? Also it is true that it was a gulf air flight but we do not know if pilot was Pakistani as many Gulf Air pilots are. So suspicion was not compleely unwarranted.

I feel sorry for passengers inconvenience but Pakistani passport is suspicious around the world related to security concern. how New Delhi IGI airport world second Best airport in its own category decleared by airport council international can compromise security with unplanned landing

@wiserneighbour -then why did you land your plane in indian soil in first place leaving your "World class" airports ?

I agree that tit for tat should not be done. But Indians are frustrated because of repeated betrayals by Pakistani authorities by using fundamentalists against India for strategic gains. Terrorists are enjoying in your jails plotting against India So Indian gove. reciprocating in same manner I guess.

@@difusal .. are u serious .. that flight was hijacked ... dont confuse the issue .. and condemn this inhuman treatment by Indian Gov

@Global Citizen Delhi is the closest International airport (with facilities to tackle technical faults on major airplanes) to Lahore. As an aviation enthusiast I commend the pilot of Gulf Air for it's intelligent and safe thinking.

@Ahmed USA Yep, great neighbours we got.

I came across such a incident - I was travelling from Dammam - Saudi arabia to Mumbai - India by Air India. The flight took off but some unexpected technical fault came up and the flight returned back to Dammam airport, but inspite of knowing it was a major fault the flight full of families and childrens all were made to wait about 4 hours. Finally all passengers de-boarded and was taken to airport and had to wait again upto 8 to 10 hours. Thereafter transferred to Hotel until another Air India flight was sent from India specially to pick the passengers after a stay of more than a day. The total wait was almost two days. Actually I understand is that Airlines avoid it because otherwise they will have to provide hotel and food. It would be additional cost. So it is Airlines who are to be blamed. But in this case since it is between India and Pakistan the matter is exaggerated.

@khan - This is the reputation you have earned internationally.

@Qamar - Our hearth is small due to your reputation. However at least children and ladies should be allowed.

@Zaffar - Rightly said, Paksitanis reputation is so bad...however children and ladies should have been allowed.

@from india - Keep your shock in your pocket..don't try to be wise...however we should allow children and ladies...

@Ayesha ejaz --ha ha....we don't even don't care about you people....

@Muhammad - you don't have any brain indeed....I mean Modi got no time about your plane..he has better things to do....think before you write...

When a plane bound for Lahore overflies Lahore and heads for New Delhi carrying Pakistanis, you can understand why Indian authorities would be worried.

@Global Citizen I want the same answer. I have been wondering for a while.

I am an Indian. I think the protocol is that. Any plane of any nationality would have had to go through a thorough security check first. However if any discrimination has taken place just because the passengers are Pakistanis, thats horrible from our side. I apologize from our side.

If India wants to be one of the best countries in the world, the proof of burden rests on Indian authorities. Certainly, this incidents negates this. Very narrow thinking.

To those folks asking variety of questions: 1) Why land in Delhi and NOT Pakistan? Ans) It was the decision that Pilot made, knowing the infrastructure Gulf-Air has in Delhi and its ability to repair the fault in New-Delhi. Maybe Gulf-Air does not have necessary infrastructure in Pakistan. 2) Why aren't Passengers being allowed to disembark? Ans) An Airline is expected to pay fees for docking to the airport. It is a decision of the Airline whether they want to dock and let their passengers disembark. No Fees, No permission to disembark.

@Shahid Akbar, USA "If India wants to be one of the best countries in the world, the proof of burden rests on Indian authorities. Certainly, this incidents negates this. Very narrow thinking." You have no idea on how airlines operate, but hey you are a Pakistani... 1) First you need to have an agreement with an Airport to operate out of it. Space is leased to the Airline to operate. Airline brings in its equipment or hires/leases equipment from the airport 2) For every landing/take off there is a fee, including baggage, airport tax, docking etc. Some fees is passed on to customers and some paid by Airlines. The onus to allowed passengers to disembark lies with Airline and NOT the airport. You pay the fees, you get to disembark.

It is amusing to see that a lot of blame is being given to the Indian authorities but no one is answering as to why the plane enroute to Pakistan landed in Delhi despite the fact that it may have crossed some major Pakistani cities. It is not new. In other countries passengers have been disallowed to disembark from domestic flights.

@Jay "Where are the 1, 001 Indian commenters who pounce at any news piece that has a negative angle for Pakistan?!!" When there are 10,001 Pak commenters who have already pounced and allege guilt and a small heart on the part of Indian authorities, the 1001 Indian commentors have faded in the background. But having said that, if it is true that passengers with kids and old were kept stuffed sitting inside an airplane for 8 hours, it is indeed deplorable. On the positive side, I guess it is better than any Canadian or American embassy where I have seen young people from Pakistan segregated and waiting before being given a visa-entry rejection 90% of the time.

By reading news from different news papers it looks like it's neither technical nor bad weather issue. If it is bad weather then pakistan had other airport to land and if technical issue it would have landed nearby airport which is in Pakistan. All 3 countries are hiding something and as one of software engineer told passengers were kept in very security in Delhi airport give different message

Landing in Lahore, Pakistan Due to extremely low fuel level, the aircraft requested an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan initially denied the request. Pakistan also shut down their air traffic services, thus effectively blackening the whole of Pakistan airspace for the Indian Airlines flight and switched off all lights at Lahore Airport.[4] With no help from ATC, Captain Sharan banked on his visual instincts and began descending on what he thought was a runway only to find out that it was a well-lit road and aborted landing the aircraft in time.[5] On understanding that the only other option for the aircraft was to crash land, Lahore Airport switched on its lights and allowed the aircraft to land. Lahore airport officials refuelled the aircraft and allowed it to leave Lahore at 22:32 IST. Pakistani officials rejected the pilot's request to offload some women and children passengers due to tense relations with India.[6]

@Ahmed USALanding in Lahore, Pakistan Due to extremely low fuel level, the aircraft requested an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan initially denied the request. Pakistan also shut down their air traffic services, thus effectively blackening the whole of Pakistan airspace for the Indian Airlines flight and switched off all lights at Lahore Airport.[4] With no help from ATC, Captain Sharan banked on his visual instincts and began descending on what he thought was a runway only to find out that it was a well-lit road and aborted landing the aircraft in time.[5] On understanding that the only other option for the aircraft was to crash land, Lahore Airport switched on its lights and allowed the aircraft to land. Lahore airport officials refuelled the aircraft and allowed it to leave Lahore at 22:32 IST. Pakistani officials rejected the pilot's request to offload some women and children passengers due to tense relations with India.[6]

India is so unique they always refuse to be normal. Wish they could act natural for once or for a change. Think about children onboard.

@HAIDER because we do not trust you jihadis! -- it is as such suspicious that the plane asked to land in Delhi instead of anywhere in pakistan given the geographical layout -- most probably they are all darn terrorists - completely agree with Indian authorities.

@Kanfuzed perhaps lahore does not have the facility to repair the technical fault.

@Ahmad Bukhari - u need to learn before commenting again

Those Indians defending rude ad treatment metted out to passengers should read about A320 which landed in Pakistan in July 2012 Please do not compare this with a hijacked plane not allowed to land

Gulf Air has to explain as to why the pilot went all the way to Delhi when its destination was Lahore and Lahore being much much nearer to Delhi. Gulf Air must also pay punitive compensation to 217 passengers for mental torture and physical inconvenience. The pilot is incompetent. The plane might have crashed for travelling a longer distance with a fault.All said and told, Pakistani intelligence must probe this mis-adventure.

Very suspicious. Good that the Indian authorities did not allow the passengers to disembark.

@khanm Rightly said. after all the attempt at spreading 'peace' by Pakistan.

@Pratik LOL isn't it illogical that a flight from Bahrain to Lahore should 'be diverted' to Delhi. Highly suspicious.

@Global Citizen the right airport would have been Karachi. why to fly to Delhi??

Its just a tit-for-tat behavior from India. Pakistan has done the same to Indian passengers in the past. Delhi airport, tried to clear a very busy airport, and asked Pakistanis for the list of passengers with their names and details, before allowing them to get down the airport. This was to check if there is any suspicious passengers on board. Looking at Pakistan's recent conditions, its not way off the mark from security point of view. It might have been a hijacked plane, with a forced landing at Delhi. But Pakistani authorities never supported with the details, asked for. Please dont blame us for this as your best friend China does not even give Visas to Pakistanis, and your holiness Saudi Arabia has declared in many different ways in the recent past, that Pakistanis are unwanted people in the holy Islamic kingdom of SA. We are just trying to deal with our highly unpredictable and usually wrong neighbor. and btw, you did this to us first.

@Naseer Remember the jihadi incident at Karachi airport last year? Maybe everybody is on hair trigger alert.

@Salman You are right of course. But legal and safety issues (not to mention security issues) surrounding this may have been in play. All major Indian cities and airports have been on high alert ever since the jihadi groups have targeted India for attacks. The world is becoming a more dangerous place as fanaticism and anomie spread.

So much invective and conspiracies hurled . . . for what? If I were to categorize the comments, it would be something like this: (a) 77% blaming Indians out of hand (for being less than human, evil, small hearted, not a true democracy, full of hate for Pakistanis, etc.) without understanding the issues (b) 10% blaming Pakistanis for promoting terrorism (irrelevant) (c) 10% questioning the route (relevant) (c) 2% rationally addressing the rules of aviation, probable cause of diversion to Delhi, and actual events that transpired at the airport that would have stopped all the nonsensical and heated comments and made the story uninteresting. Could Dawn have provided a background within the wire story? Sure.

@Vipin Going out of the airport means they will have to clear customs and immigration. For that the passengers need to have some kind of visa. The very first area you get to after deplaning in T3 is the customs and immigration check area. So even accommodating them within the airport would not have been a solution.

@Omar That's not true. This is the handiwork of some idiot in the establishment who took the wrong decision.

@Jawad U Rahman really not the least with a terrorist state like yours. We need to protect ourselves from sharks like you

@Tanweer because delhi has better technical infrastructure for repairs than Lahore or Karachi, apparently the GF captain did not trust you guys

have any one of you heard the story of sudharshan baba. When a decoit posed as a poor man and snatched his horse. Air port authorities did a great thing allowing them to land but cannot risk the whole area because they cannot do the background check of each passenger in short time. Nation security is greater than any thing. Especially when there are so many questions mark , like Delhi is farther than its destination , why Delhi, why not any other airport in Pakistan. When Karachi airport was shut because of attack , the planes were diverted to Islamabad airport. This time something was fishy.

Shameful act by Indians for not accomodating innocent passengers

@love u pakistan All Pakistanis are guilty until proven innocent. Anyway the plane was struck by lightening and because bad weather could not land at Lahore and so was diverted. I am sure Delhi authorities followed the normal protocol in this case.

@Jason. It was a Gulf Air flight!

@khan ...international laws

@Jawad U Rahman What does that got to do with Indian democracy. Just because we are a democratic country..it doesn't mean that we will let a plane land and disembark people who ever they are?

Here is another version: " the stranded Pakistanis said they had been treated very well and felt like they were home. “We were provided with hotel rooms and food and they took very good care of us. We did not even feel like we were anywhere else, it felt like we were in Pakistan and they (India) treated us like family,” another passenger informed

@apoorva As it happened with IC 814?

the trash was treated like trash.

Someone please explain why a plane coming from Bahrain to Lahore would be diverted to New Dehli which is further east.

@from india Something is amiss here. Bahrain is west of Lahore and New Delhi is to the east. If the aircraft was coming from Bahrain, it should have reached Lahore first. So, naturally, the question is why did the aircraft overfly Lahore and kept flying in an easterly direction until it reached Delhi? The navigational aspect of this episode seems highly illogical unless, of course, the intent was to bypass Lahore for New Delhi for reasons other than a technical fault. So don't blame Indian authorities but try to understand who is responsible you are we. Lahore- your city coming first and you landed in city number two for technical fault.

I think we need to remember the standard protocol. Few times, I had to stuck in airplanes like this. Best answer will come from Airlines weather they requested deboarding or not? Speculation could be bad idea here

@Ahmed USA Joke of the century. Do you really think Modi gets to approve a flight landing? There are other authorities and officers to do that. Modi is not the only person in India.

Maybe Lahore airport would not have right maintenance equipment - & Karachi airport is unsafe - so Gulf air would have decided on Delhi A'port

@rishi Your quite correct, Pakistani nationals are by requirement subject to stringent security procedures especially when applying for even a tourist visa in IND, reporting to FRO etc, it is procedure

Shocking !! How can you leave 214 human beings tired after a long flight, in a sealed compartment with uncleared toilets, with suffering women and children and maybe elderly people for 12 hours, in an international venue? Our unconditional apologies to the passengers and to the Pakistani people. The only consolation I can think of is that the authorities may have done the same thing even to Indians - in India authority is a self-centred pachyderm, completely insensitive and obsessed with itself. It is reflected in the behaviour of politicians and bureaucrats.

@JUSTICE . No regards for Pakistanis anywhere. Same woyuld happen even in Sri Lanka

@Global Citizen ... Good question but should be asked by Gulf Air.. :)

@Global Citizen I will answer your question All flights coming from Persian gulf area (Bahrain, Dubai etc) have to travel East to pakistani airspace and then travel North East (NE) in our airspace (to Avoid Iran and Afghanistan). Now if you google the map and see, then New Delhi is closer than Lahore on NE heading and that is the reson that it was diverted to new Delhi rather than Lahore.

Please read this..Pakistani passengers speak how well they were treated in India..scroll to the bottom of the article and the source is a Pakistani newspaper.. http://tribune.com.pk/story/846808/nawaz-for-sending-special-flight-to-evacuate-pakistanis-stranded-at-new-delhi-airport/

12 hours in the plane as of this article but no indication how many hours the passengers were tortured inside the hot plane. All the passengers should file a class action lawsuit against Gulf Air and India.

@Jason cowardly Indians will.never feel secure