Twelve pro-Khalistani hijackers of the Indian Airlines Boeing-737 surrendered to authorities in the United Arab Emirates this evening and released all 68 passengers and six crew members unharmed, about 38 hours after they had seized the aircraft over Pathankot.
The released hostages are expected back in the Capital early tomorrow morning. Seven hostages, including five women and an infant, freed at Lahore and Karachi, have already arrived in Delhi this evening.
The hijackers were taken into custody by the local authorities and whisked away.
The welcome development followed nearly eight hours of nonstop negotiations between the hijackers and leaders of the UAE Government led by Defence Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who were ably assisted by Indian Ambassador, Mr Isharat Aziz, and Capt. B. K. Bhasin, Director of Flight Safety of the Indian Airlines.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, who was in Dubai was returning home from Rumania, also joined the talks.
During the negotiations which appeared to be on the verge of collision on several occasions, the hijackers stuck to their demands, including safe passage to the Untitled States and assurance that the UAE Government would respect its promises.
The UAE authorities in consultation with other concerned parties is understood to have promised a seven-day asylum to the pro-Khalistani Sikh hijackers before their departure to the United States.
{{/usCountry}}The UAE authorities in consultation with other concerned parties is understood to have promised a seven-day asylum to the pro-Khalistani Sikh hijackers before their departure to the United States.
{{/usCountry}}The passengers were allowed to leave the aircraft .soon after the hijackers and the UAE Government came to a workable understanding.
First a batch of 25 passengers came out of the Boeing and they were almost immediately followed by the remaining passengers and members of the crew.
The released hostages were taken in two airport authority buses to the air-conditioned international transit lounge for rest and refreshments.
The Delhi-Chandigarh-Srinagar plane, which was seized by 12 kirpan-wielding Sikh extremists soon after it left Chandigarh yesterday morning was taken to Lahore, where it was refuelled after nine and a half hours. The hijackers then forced it to fly to the Gulf via Karachi. At Karachi, it was again given jet fuel.
The Dubai airport authorities switched off the runway lights and raido contact and refused landing permission. The plane hovered over the Dubai airport for 40 minutes before it landed on the darkened runway with fuel running low.
After landing the plane was cordoned off by security personnel at an isolated spot on the airport.
An Indian Airlines relief aircraft carrying senior officials of the Government of India and Indian Airlines including Capt. Bhasin, also landed at Dubai airport within minutes of the landing of the hijacked aircraft.
New Delhi was constantly in touch with Dubai and a special committee functioning under the Cabinet kept reviewing the minute to-minute changing situation.
This was the second hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft within seven weeks. On July 5, an Indian Airlines airbus on a Srinagar-Delhi flight was hijacked to Lahore, where pro-Khalistan hijackers had released all passengers unharmed.
The Boeing, initially carrying 122 passengers, was on a Delhi-Srinagar hopping flight via Chandigarh and Jammu. Sixty seven passengers had disembarked at Chandigarh and 31 joined the flight for Jammu and Srinagar. The plane was hijacked minutes after it took off from Chandigarh.
Some of the hijackers were believed to have boarded the plane at Chandigarh as four passengers had given fake addresses.
The hijackers allowed five passengers, including a three-member family, to leave the aircraft at Lahore and two women, holding British passports at Karachi.
It was the second hijacking experience for Capt. V. K. Mehta and the third for steward D. K. Mehta.
WASHINGTON: The State Department refused to comment on reports from Dubai that as part of the deal for the release of the passengers and crew of the hijacked Boeing the hijackers would be allowed to come to the US and that when they arrived they would be arrested.
US officials said the negotiations at the Dubai airport were done by local authorities not by the US.