Hijackers, militants headed towards Pakistan

Hijackers, militants headed towards Pakistan
JYOTI MALHOTRA

NEW DELHI, DEC 31: The three militants handed over by India on Friday in Kandahar have been driven to Pakistan along with the hijackers, according to the Taliban permanent representative at the United Nations (UN) Maulvi Hakim Mujahid.

``These hijackers were ordered to leave Afghanistan within ten hours,'' Maulvi Mujahid told The Indian Express over telephone from New York, adding, ``No country was ready to receive them, so they started their journey towards Pakistan.''

Asked if they were Pakistani nationals and whether that was why they had driven to Pakistan, Maulvi Mujahid said: ``I think they were Pakistani nationals,'' adding, however, that the ``Pakistani government was not involved in any way'' in the hijacking.

Expressing his happiness at the peaceful end of the hijacking, the Maulvi said the Indian Government had also expressed its appreciation to the Taliban at their cooperation in ending the crisis. ``The Indian Government is very happy with what we've done,'' he said.

Asked why thehijackers were allowed to go to Pakistan and not tried according to international convention in Afghanistan, Maulvi Mujahid said the Indian authorities had ``agreed'' that the hijackers would leave Afghan soil ``within ten hours.''

He pointed out that the Taliban authorities had asked the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as well as the representatives of all ten foreign governments present in Kandahar during the hijacking if they were willing to accept the hijackers, but all of them refused, he added.

Meanwhile in the capital, highly placed sources in the government said the deal to hand over the three militants in exchange for the hijacked passengers was struck on Thursday evening in Kandahar between the Indian authorities, the Taliban leadership and the hijackers.

Contrary to the impression so far, the sources said, Taliban's Foreign Minister Ahmed Wakil Muttawakil was said to be a crucial conduit in the negotiations between New Delhi and the hijackers.

The gloom in thecorridors of the Government led some to describe the Taliban as being ``directly hand in glove with Pakistan'' all through the hijacking crisis. Sources said that Muttawakil, in fact, was said to have been the one putting pressure on the Indian negotiators, emphasising that New Delhi had to hand over at least ``some militants'' in exchange for the hijacked passengers.

At one point, the Government is even said to have considered a military operation but the Taliban is believed to have refused permission to Indian troops to land in Kandahar. On Thursday evening, airport security was beefed up by bringing in an armoured personnel carrier, primarily to signal to the Indian authorities that only a ``political deal'' was possible, the sources said.

The overriding fear that led to New Delhi caving in, came after the threat that they would soon start killing passengers if the Government did not agree soon to hand over a set number of militants.

Eventually, the deal was said to have been struck late Thursdayevening after the Ramadan prayers and finally wrapped up on Friday morning. The hard bargaining of the last five days essentially revolved around the number of militants that India would agree to free in exchange for the 159 passengers.

The sources also pointed to the ``minutely planned'' nature of the hijacking. It is believed that the hijackers advanced the date of the hijack by two days because there were three VIPs aboard IC-814. Two of these are said to be related to political figures, while the third is a first secretary in the Indian High Commission in Kathmandu. He is said to be a relative of a powerful official in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The pressure that was brought to bear upon the Government by the relatives of these so-called VIPs did not help the Government in their extremely delicate negotiations with the hijackers, the sources said.