Hijackers, militants Quetta-bound: Taliban

By Amit Baruah

ISLAMABAD, JAN. 1. The five unidentified hijackers along with the three released militants, Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmad Umar, left for Quetta (Pakistan) from Kandahar last evening, the Taliban Information Minister, Mr. Abdul Hai Mutmaen, was quoted as saying by the Jang newspaper today.

The report came as informed sources confirmed that the ``Taliban hostage'' taken by the hijackers while making their getaway had been freed. The identity of the hostage is not known.

The sources also suggest that the deal to allow the hijackers a 10-hour time-frame to get away was agreed to by the Government of India, the Taliban, the Western nations who had citizens on board the hijacked aircraft as well as the U.N. representative at the Kandahar airport.

The U.N. Coordinator for Afghanistan, Mr. Eric de Mul, today did not confirm a news agency report that the body of a hijacker, who was apparently killed by his colleagues, was found in the cockpit of the hijacked aircraft.

``No, I cannot confirm that (report of the body being found). That's a rumour I think. Nobody saw that,'' Mr. de Mul told the two Pakistan-based Indian correspondents at the Islamabad airport upon arrival from Kandahar.

Asked if he was aware of what had been done with the released militants and the hostages, the U.N. official said they were given 10 hours to leave Afghanistan (a deadline which expired at 4 a.m. this morning).

To a question if he believed that the Taliban's image had been enhanced by the fact that the hostages had been allowed to go scot-free, Mr. de Mul replied: ``I think the Taliban's image has been enhanced because they have done a good job, they have been cooperative and helpful in solving the (hijacking) problem.''

Given the fact that the Taliban Information Minister and official spokesman has told a Pakistani newspaper that the hijackers and released militants have crossed into India, it is clear that Pakistan was their ultimate destination.

In a related development, Allah Buksh Sabir, the father of Masood Azhar, was quoted as telling The News from Bahawalpur that Masood would return to Pakistan.

``My son has not committed any crime in Pakistan and he will come back. We cannot go anywhere else. This is our soil, we have to return here no matter where we go...I am a satisfied man. My son is not a terrorist. I do not need a certificate from anyone. My son never talked against Pakistan, against the Kashmir movement during his six years in jail,'' Sabir was quoted as saying.

For the past one week, Pakistani spokesmen have repeatedly made the charge that the hijacking was a ``stage- managed affair'' and India was not bothered about the safety and security of its nationals.

Today, all those charges have fallen flat on their face after New Delhi released the militants in exchange for the hostages. The statements' validity has disappeared and the propaganda effort has come to a naught. Clearly, the effort was to pin the blame on the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, only to deflect attention from a possible Pakistani role in the hijacking affair.

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