Mystery of Flight IC-814: India's Most Insane Hijacking (Part 3)

 

Deteriorating Conditions on the Aircraft and Government Pressure

The crisis management group is in a state of tension. They have to negotiate with the terrorists. The plane is in bad shape. All the toilets are clogged. The plane is stinking. And the passengers are exhausted. On the other hand, the chief is very anxious. This means that the passengers' lives are in great danger. At midnight, the hijackers wake up the flight engineer. The chief tells the flight engineer to go to the luggage area of the plane and get their luggage. In late December night, when it's very cold in Kandahar, the flight engineer goes outside the plane, followed by Burger with a revolver. He brings the hijacker's suitcase from the luggage area. No one knows what's in the bag. But the crew is wondering if it has a bomb in it. This increases the tension in their minds. At 2 am, the Afghani engineer tells the flight engineer that the Indian government is sending a relief aircraft to Kandahar. The chief tells the captain and the first officer that the Indians are coming. This arouses the captain and the first officer's hopes. But the atmosphere in New Delhi is very different. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee holds an emergency cabinet meeting. But he's under a lot of pressure because the news channels only talk about the passengers' family members. Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh is holding a press conference. And amidst the press conference, many family members enter the room. They ask what the government is thinking. The hijackers asked for the release of some terrorists. So you release them. "Putting in the dark." "Pompous statements have been made about the greatness when the fact lies that it was an absolute security lapse." The passengers’ families tell Jaswant Singh that in 1989, when Union Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed's daughter was kidnapped, the government released the terrorists to save his daughter. So when it was about the minister's daughter, you didn't think about it. But why are you thinking so much when it's our family? But it wasn't an easy question for Jaswant Singh. Because they were demanding Maulana Masood Azhar's release. The government was wondering what to do. They couldn't even get a military operation done in Kandahar. So the only option was to negotiate with the Taliban. Something that the Indian government didn't want to do. But they had to do it because the hijackers were getting more desperate.

Taliban's Stance and India's Diplomatic Efforts

The cockpit now looks like a war zone. There are revolvers, grenades, and bullets everywhere. The hijackers were clearly threatening the passengers and the Indian government with this imagery. And the chief was in a bad mood. It had been hours since he had told the Indian government what he wanted. But the Indian government didn't give any updates. The chief tells the captain and flight engineer that your country doesn't care about you. They don't care what's happening here. It's important to teach them a lesson. The flight engineer tells him to be patient. The chief replies, how much more patient should I be? Outside the plane, the Taliban has surrounded the entire aircraft. They have Jeeps and tanks. This makes the hijackers more nervous. The chief tells the air traffic control to remove the commandos from near the plane. The air traffic control says, Don't worry, they're here to protect you. The chief says, remove them; we don't need any protection. But then a Taliban commander says in anger, you won't even touch a single passenger. If you hurt anyone, the commandos will immediately enter the plane. The hijackers got even more nervous. They thought the Taliban would support them. But they're actually scolding them. Taliban leader Maulana Mohammad Umar says in an interview that either the hijackers will have to leave Afghanistan or surrender. When the Indian government hears such news, it gets confused. The Indian government says the Taliban is supporting us. But according to our intelligence reports, the hijackers were sent by the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. They have a very strong relationship with the Taliban. So is the Taliban with us or with the hijackers? That's why AR Ghanshyam, the commercial counselor at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, comes to Kandahar. His mission is very simple. To see whose side, the Taliban is on. India's or the hijackers'. Ghanshyam can also talk to the hijackers through the radio. He tells them that the government is considering their demands. But the hijackers say, why are you taking so long? Your government doesn't care about the passengers. While in New Delhi, the government is preparing a negotiating team to send the Kandahar. The team includes the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Vivek Katju, and Ajit Doval, who is an experienced negotiator in the counterinsurgency. A relief team of 30 people accompanies them. Two doctors, one nurse, engineers, and 20 anti-hijacking trained commandos also go with them. The plane leaves New Delhi at 4.30 pm and reaches Kandahar at 7.30 pm. The hijackers tell the passengers that the Indian delegation is arriving in Kandahar. As soon as the passengers hear that the plane is landing at Kandahar airport, they start clapping. But they don't know that they have to spend four more days on the airplane.

Arrival of Indian Negotiators and Initial Talks

The Indian delegation lands in Kandahar, and the passengers see a lot of positive things. For example, food is sent from 9.30 pm to 10:30 pm, and the airport staff comes to clean the toilets. So people think that the hijacking is over. But the negotiations have just begun. When the Indian negotiators arrive in Kandahar, they get a briefing from AR Ghanshyam. He tells Vivek Khatju and Ajit Doval that the hijackers have a lot of weapons. They're desperate. And the Taliban are neither pro-India nor anti-India. They're taking a neutral stance. The Indian delegation meets the Taliban's foreign minister and tells him to put more pressure on the hijackers. The foreign minister says that he'll try to do this, but there won't be any military action on his land. He doesn't want anyone's blood to be spilled on the Taliban's land. After this, the negotiators talk to the chief for the first time. Ajit Doval says that he's here to negotiate and listen to his demands. But he has a request. Let Rachna Katyal go, who is Rupin Katyal's wife. The chief replies that he won't release anyone until Masood Azhar is released from jail. The negotiations stop there, and the hijackers say that they'll negotiate tomorrow morning. At 4 am, the plane's auxiliary power unit shuts down. The plane's air conditioning, lighting, and communication equipment are now off. In such a situation, the hijackers get even more desperate. Bhola orders the passengers to use the toilet for just 10 seconds. Whereas Burger starts talking to the passengers about Kashmir. How are the Indian security forces misbehaving with women in Kashmir?

Stalled Negotiations and New Demands

In the morning, Vivek Katju meets the Taliban's leader again to ask for his help. But the Taliban refuses to participate in the negotiations. Meanwhile, it turns out that the hijackers are talking to a secret third force through a satellite phone to find out what's going on on the ground. You'll soon find out who this mysterious force is. In the afternoon, the hijackers make a new offer. They're ready to release 35 hostages if they get Masood Azhar. But the Indian team refuses. The hijackers then make new demands. They want the release of 35 jailed militants, $200 million in cash, and Sajjad Afghani's body. Sajjad Afghani is a terrorist. He was trying to escape from the high-security Jammu jail. He was killed in the process. As the news of the hijackings reaches India, the passengers' families get even angrier. They start shouting slogans and enter government buildings. Riot police are called to control them. This anger is also evident in the plane. When the hijackers ask, What's the Indian government doing? Suddenly, the chief tells the crew that they'll fly back the next morning. But the chief doesn't say to where. The next morning, there's a twist in the story. Suddenly, the Taliban has become pro-India instead of neutral. The Taliban leaders say that the demand of the hijackers is un-Islamic. It's against Islam. The Taliban's foreign minister and supreme leader, Mullah Omar, talked to the hijackers to withdraw their demand. The foreign minister talks to the hijackers for 30 minutes. He says that with the Taliban there, the Indian government won't carry out any military operations against them. After this call, the hijackers agree to reduce their demands.

Reduced Demands and the Role of the ISI

The Taliban's foreign minister immediately informs the Indian delegation. Vivek Katju then calls Jaswant Singh and says that the Taliban is now cooperating with them. At 10 am, the chief tells the passengers that the negotiations are going well and a deal will be made soon. The Indian delegation tells the hijackers to first release the women and children. The hijackers refuse. The hijackers tell Ajit Doval to make a decision quickly. This deal won't last long. Ajit Doval tries to create an emotional bond between him and the hijackers. He tells the hijackers that their religion didn't teach them this. Hijacking innocent passengers is against Islam. The hijackers say that they don't need to be taught Islam. Make a decision quickly. At the same time, a U.S. spy satellite in Mumbai records a call between the hijackers in Kandahar and the ISI operatives in Mumbai. The ISI operatives were the third force that informed the hijackers about the situation on the ground. The CIA gives this information to the Mumbai police. The Mumbai police then raid several places. It turns out that these callers are calling from the Golden Soil Colony in the Jogeshwari area, flat number 707. The Mumbai police raid the place, and four ISI operatives get caught. These are the four ISI operatives in Mumbai who planned this hijacking. The next day, at 5 am, the doctor wakes up the flight engineer and tells him to get the plane ready. The chief tells the flight engineer to refuel the plane. They have to reach another location. But the flight engineer says, Look at the condition of the plane. He refuses to do this. The chief tells the flight engineer that there's no point in talking to the Indian government. All negotiations have failed. Burger comes out of the cockpit. The passengers are told that their time is up. Now, I'll show you how real hijackers are.

Final Negotiations and Release of Terrorists

Because the Indian government communicates slowly, hijackers get frustrated. Whereas the Indian government is trying to negotiate with the Taliban. Jaswant Singh calls the Taliban's foreign minister in the morning and asks him to start negotiations with the hijackers. The foreign minister then tells the hijackers to reduce their demands. The hijackers then tell the Afghan foreign minister that if 15 people don't get released from jail, they'll blow up the plane. This was a good sign for the Indian government. The hijackers' demands had been reduced from 35 to 15. But the Taliban's foreign minister tried to negotiate more. He said, forget 15, just ask for 5. The hijackers agreed. Ajit Doval then tells the hijackers that he'll choose the names of the 5 people who'll be released. The hijackers repute this proposition. The hijackers and the negotiators communicate even further. It's decided that apart from Masood Azhar, 2 more people will be released. So, the hijackers' demands were this for a while. Now, it's this. At 3.30 pm, the chief goes to the cockpit. He tells the other hijackers that the negotiations were successful. But the story isn't over yet. The hijackers' mood changes at night. They say, Release the 35 militants, or we'll kill all the passengers. Vivek Katju and Jaswant Singh try to negotiate with the hijackers again. But somehow, the hijackers finally agree and say that 3 terrorists will be released. Maulana Masood Azhar from Jammu's Kot Bhalwal Jail, Mushtaq Ahmed from Srinagar Central Jail, and Ahmed Umar Syed from Delhi's Tihar Jail. At 3 pm, the foreign minister Jaswant Singh and the 3 terrorists leave Delhi. They land in Kandahar after 1.5 hours. Jaswant Singh arrives there with high hopes. He tells the Taliban that he'll go back with the hijackers to teach them a lesson. The Taliban tells Jaswant Singh that there's no need to do this. Just take care of your passengers.

Departure of Hijackers and Aftermath

In fact, the Taliban's foreign minister gives Jaswant Singh a bill. The bill includes a parking fee for the plane, brown rice, raisins, and things like water, which he gave to the Indian passengers and hijackers. The Taliban had issued a bill to Jaswant Singh for $25,000 for their services. While in the airplane, it was like a wedding. The hijackers were saying goodbye to the passengers and crew. Burger hugged the captain and said sorry. The doctor said to the captain, we are very sorry. And finally, the hijackers said to the captain, Captain, the work is done, and we are leaving. The Taliban gave 10 hours to the hijackers and terrorists to leave Afghanistan. After this, all of them crossed the border and left for Pakistan. Now, India knows the consequences of releasing Masood Azhar. Due to media coverage, Masood Azhar becomes a celebrity in Pakistan. After reaching there, he gives many speeches throughout the week where he demands Jihad in Kashmir. In March 2000, he starts a militant group called Jaishe-e-Mohammad. He announces this not in a small room but in a public stadium. A few months later, Jaishe-e-Mohammad commits suicide bombing near the base of the Indian Army, Badami Bagh. Next year, this militant group attacks the New Delhi Parliament. In 2006, it attacked Srinagar. In 2016, four Jaishe-e-Mohammad terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Base. In the same year, army camps are attacked in Uri. In 2019, a suicide attack against the CRPF takes place in Pulwama, where 40 Indian soldiers die. Today, in the Indian government's list, Masood Azhar is the number one terrorist. His brother led the hijackers, and his brother's son masterminded the Pulwama attack.

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