Hyderabad: Twenty years into the hijacking of the Indian Airlines’ Flight IC 814 in 1999 by members of Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, which culminated into the release of three dreaded militants from Indian prisons, including Maulana Masood Azhar, against the exchange of around 188 hostages on board, not a lot has changed.
Two of the three released militants are still roaming free and operating from neighbouring Pakistan: Mushtaq Ahmad zargar alias Mushtaq Latram, leader of a Kashmir-based militant group, Al Umar Mujahideen and Maulana Masood Azhar who later launched Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The third released militant, Sheikh Omar, a Briton, was subsequently arrested in Pakistan for killing an American journalist, Daniel Pearl. Omar was later sentenced to death by a Pakistani court.
Ever since the hijacking of the Airbus, while Mushtaq started operating secretively, Masood Azhar, on the other hand, not only remained overtly active in formulating anti-India schemes but revived militancy in a new way.
He introduced suicide attacks in Kashmir and elsewhere. He is the one who carried out the 2001 attack on Indian parliament, and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. His first protege in carrying out a suicide attack was a boy from Srinagar, Afaq Ahmad Shah. He attacked Badamibagh military base in Srinagar though the strike was an unsuccessful one.
Before attempting the hijack, an unsuccessful attempt of jail break was made to secure the release of Azhar, at the behest of Azhar’s brother Yousuf.It took more than a year to hatch the entire conspiracy of hijacking the ill-fated Indian Airlines flight.
Yousuf's accomplice, an Indian national named Abdul Lateef, helped him to get all the logistical support, money, passport and a rented accommodation in Mumbai.
The hijacking could have been aborted if Indian intelligence in Kathmandu, reportedly, would have responded on time and taken extra caution after an alert was sent to them. Infact, a RAW officer who denied the threat was serious was later found on board as one of the passengers. The RAW officer’s wife was close relative of then an influential bureaucrat in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s office.
A military operation at Amritsar airport, where the hijacked plane first landed after the pilot found that the flight was running short of fuel, would have been carried out against hijackers had the RAW officer not been on board. It was only because RAW wanted the officer safe. The plane was let off as RAW, reportedly, did not allow a military action. The plane could not refill as the take off had to happen in a hush hush way without permission from air traffic. The second landing took place in Lahore, Pakistan, as the plane needed refill.
Many things unfolded for India during and after the hijacking of IC 814, one among them was the the Afghan Taliban was in support of ISI and the leadership of Taliban was in touch with militant leadership in Kashmir. The second thing was that Azhar was a main player in mobilising and strategising militancy in Kashmir and elsewhere. He was an international link between various militant groups. He was the one to brought severity in militancy across India through his Jaish e mohammad group which was launched immediately after his release in 1999.
Azhar chose to operate from North West Frontier province (NWFP) and Balakot of Pakistan so that he would be away from Indian intelligence radar as the main focus was either on Islamabad or on Muzafarabad from where the most militant groups operate.
Masood Azhar’s group carries a pan Islamic ideology unlike groups like Hizbul mujahideen, Al Umar, Jamiet ul Mujahideen. His ideology is relevant to people who believes in ISIS ideology which is what makes him a great threat to India. His cadres mostly come from wahabi school of thought that do not believe in nationhood and show no mercy of people who believe in nations.
Azhar and his family organises training camps for cadres of Jaish e Mohammad. Most of the militant ranks who carry out dreaded attacks are derived from his seminaries. Though Azhar is said to be medically unfit for any such activity now but his foundation for pan Islamic concept of jehad has borne dangerous fruits for militancy.
Those who have witnessed 24th December 1999, IC 814 Hijacking, would clearly understand how important it is for India to not allow such elements grow. It still remains a big challenge for India to end decades of pain for those who were on board for 7 days. The trauma would end only if the people like Azhar are brought to justice. Azhar still haunts Indian military and intelligence agencies as many unsuccessful attempts to kill Azhar were made. Much hyped Balakot strike was lead to kill Azhar and to destroy his base in 2018. Sustained campaign to get him declared as global terrorist was time and again stalled by China making him an asset for Pakistan against India. A lot of energy is drained to persecute Azhar and the accomplishment is yet to come to a reality.
An uncompromising approach towards national security and taking every information seriously relating to a security threat of an individual or an institution shall always be taken seriously even if it is a hoax. Unless proved that a threat is a hoax shall be shared and followed up with the concerned department and its office bearers. This is what was primarily missing in before the Kandhar hijacking episode which later led to such a chaotic situation. Had the threat, which had reached the concerned department (RAW Nepal unit) well in advance, been taken seriously would have changed the entire game.
Not only would have the hijackers been brought to justice but would have helped prevent lot of things from actually happening. Attacks like Parliament and counter attacks like Balakot and follow ups with United Nations over Azhar’s declaration of global terrorist is only prelude to what happened on 24th December 1999. Let there be a resolve that no more Azhars are produced for simple negligence, deliberate or lack of instant acumen.
Article by - Bilal Bhat, News Editor ETV Bharat
