After the removal of Bhutto , Pakistan 's relations with Syria had nose-dived after President Zia-ul-Haq assumed the control of the country in 1978 . In 1981 , the relations deteriorated when the PIA commercial flight , Boeing 720 , was hijacked by the operatives of al-Zulfikar in Damascus . The Pakistan government had long assessed that the al-Zulfikar had the enjoyed the support from the President Hafez al-Assad
hijacked
1981 Pakistan International Airlines hijacking
Pakistan–Syria relations