Hijacker says he's changed, shouldn't be deported

A Sikh man facing deportation from Canada for hijacking an Indian airliner 24 years ago says he's a changed man and should be allowed to remain in Canada to practice law.
In 1984, Parminder Singh Saini was the ringleader of a militant Sikh student organization that hijacked an Indian Airlines plane with 264 people on board. They threatened to blow up the plane if their demands for an independent homeland for Sikhs in India weren't met.
After negotiations, the plane landed safely in Lahore, Pakistan. No one was seriously hurt and the hijackers surrendered.
Saini was convicted and sentenced to death, although that was later commuted to life in prison. He spent 10 years in jail in Pakistan.
In 1994, Saini, using a false name, came to Canada and applied for refugee status. He says he holds no passport because India stripped him of his following the hijacking.
When Canadian authorities discovered Saini was in the country, they ordered him deported.
While in Canadian custody, Saini received a pardon from Pakistan, wiping out the hijacking conviction in that country.
However, a Canadian judge later ruled on Saini's case, writing: "The conviction in this case was for an offence so abhorrent to Canadians, and arguably so terrifying to the rest of the civilized world, that our court is not required to respect a foreign pardon of such an offence."
A Canadian deportation order for Saini is still active.
In an exclusive interview with CBC news, Saini said his days of militancy are behind him.
Saini, who recently earned a law degree from the University of Windsor, has a job articling with a suburban Toronto law firm. He said he's now focused on the law rather than politics.
27/09/07 CBC News/CBC Toronto, Canada

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Categories: Foreign Sep 2007, Indian Sep 2007, Safety Sep 2007