Govt. sees 'gains' in hijacking drama

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, JAN. 1. The day after the safe return of hostages from Kandahar, the Vajpayee Government has began a concerted damage- limitation exercise in order to meet the criticism at home that the Government had given into the terrorists.

To begin with, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, met some of the hijacked plane's crew members and their families; television cameras were allowed to record the event, with the families thanking Mr. Vajpayee with bouquets and coconuts. The External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, and the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr. Chaman Lal Gupta, were also present on the occasion.

Secondly, the BJP spokesmen have been fielded to defend the ``hostages for militants'' deal. For now the BJP Ministers and other senior functionaries have decided to be seen as applauding the Government. Apart from Mr. Jaswant Singh launching a full- fledged diplomatic offensive against Pakistan and its complicity in the hijacking episode, the various partners of the National Democratic Alliance have also been activated into praising the Prime Minister's leadership. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Karunanidhi took the lead in complimenting Mr. Vajpayee on his ``deft'' handling of the ``crisis''.

The Prime Minister himself was reported to be in a relieved and happier mood, and was receiving new year greetings from his Cabinet colleagues and party activists. Mr. Vajpayee also called on the President and the Vice-President to greet them on the occasion. He, however, did not call any formal review meeting, though he is reported to be of the view that ``corrective measures'' would have to be instituted to ensure that there was no repeat of the incident.

Mr. Vajpayee and his aides have decided to discern three long- term ``gains'' for India in this hijacking drama. The Prime Minister himself spelled out his thinking on these ``gains'' when he talked to the crew members and their families.

According to officials the biggest gain for India is that the hijackers had sought to internationalise the Kashmir issue, it is the terrorists and their patrons in Pakistan who have been fully exposed. According to Prime Ministerial aides, the whole world has had a glimpse of a fully operationalised entente between the terrorists and Pakistan.

The second ``gain'' is that instead of India's isolation in the world community over the Kashmir issue, it is the terrorists and their patrons who stand isolated. The initial American reaction is being cited in this context.

The third ``gain'' is the strengthening of the Kargil spirit. The hijacking episode is seen to have reaffirmed once again the strong sense of national unity. In particular, the Prime Minister made a point of mentioning the supporting role of the Muslim community throughout this crisis.

As the Prime Ministerial aides see it, what was very heartening was that for the first time even the spiritual and religious leaders of the Muslim community condemned the hijacking as ``anti-Islamic''. This is seen as a defeat of the militants' strategy to invoke the name of Islam in defence of their violent activities. Among the aides there is a sense of satisfaction that the whole episode passed off without any communal tension.

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