Hijack footprints lead to Pakistan, says Jaswant

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 1. Holding Pakistan responsible for the ugly hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, the Government today said credible threats from the hijackers to blow up the plane had forced the decision to hand over the terrorists and get the hostages back.

The External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, today launched what appeared to be the first salvo of a political offensive to nail down Pakistan's complicity in the hijacking of the Indian passenger aircraft from Kathmandu. While avoiding a definitive assertion on Pakistan's role in the most traumatic episode of terrorism ever faced by India, Mr. Singh suggested at a press conference here that all the footprints in the hijack are leading towards Pakistan.

On the basis of the preliminary assessment of this week's events, Mr. Singh declared that all the five hijackers and the three terrorists released by India had left Kandahar for Quetta in Pakistan. He insisted that the five hijackers are Pakistani nationals. He also revealed that a majority of the 35 terrorists, whose release was sought by the hijackers, are also Pakistani nationals.

Referring to the intercepts of communication between the captors of IC-814 and their masters in Pakistan, Mr. Singh said the hijackers were in constant touch with their controllers. About the frequent breaks the hijackers took during negotiations with the Indian team, he said, ``It was as if they were taking instructions from a third force, other than the Taliban.'' The Government may soon come out with more details of the monitored conversations between the hijackers and their minders.

Mr. Singh today explained the difficult circumstances under which it had decided to trade with terrorists to secure the freedom of the hostages. Adding a new dimension to the final stages of talks between India and the hijackers in which the Government had to climb down, the Minister pointed to the credible threat to blow up the plane along with the passengers.

Mr. Singh said, ``We had reports from the beginning that there was RDX in the hold of the aircraft,'' and that this might have been checked in as baggage in Kathmandu itself. Before leaving the aircraft with the terrorists, the hijackers were insisting on the retrieval of the suitcase with the explosive from the aircraft.

Mr. Singh conceded that the threat from the hijackers on December 30 to blow up the plane had dramatically raised the stakes. The Government then ``examined the issue in totality and came up with the decision'' to release the three terrorists. Defending the decision, he said, national honour and national security ``have not been diminished by saving the lives of 150 people''.

Asked why he had to personally hand over the terrorists, Mr. Singh said his presence was required in Kandahar to ensure the implementation of the agreement that had been negotiated with the hijackers ``without a last-minute hitch''. This required someone at the political level ``to take decisions on the spot'', he added.

On the Government's exploration of the possibility of storming the aircraft in Kandahar, Mr. Singh said ``India did examine the military option,'' and ``discuss it with the Taliban authorities''. Despite a widespread sense here of having been let down by the Taliban, he refused to criticise the regime that effectively controlled the final outcome in Kandahar.

Asked whether he would review his positive statements about the Taliban during the crisis, Mr. Singh said, ``We received cooperation from the Taliban through out the episode.'' At the same time he insisted there is no change in the ``fundamentals'' of India's Afghan policy.

Mr. Singh thanked the all the Governments that had extended cooperation to India in handling the crisis. Reiterating India's determination to continue its war against terrorism, he said the Government wants the hijackers ``retributed and justice sought''.

While the Minister did not indicate how the Government would go about getting the hijackers to book, his renewed focus on the Pakistani role is likely to escalate the war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad.

In an understatement on Indo-Pak relations after the hijacking incident, Mr. Singh said, ``Indo-Pak relations have not improved since the Kargil crisis and the military coup in Islamabad.''

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