Remembering IC-814 Hijacking and the Birth of Pakistani Terrorist Masood Azhar
The hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 on December 24, 1999, goes down as one of the great and sad moments of independent India. It showed the world just how vulnerable international air travel was, and it marked the arrival of Maulana Masood Azhar as a key player in the global terror landscape. The incident thus set into motion a chain of events that would have far-reaching consequences for India in its continuing fight against terrorism.
The Hijacking of IC-814
Flight IC-814 was flying from Kathmandu to New Delhi when, not very long after crossing the Indian border, it was hijacked by five armed terrorists. Erratic from the very outset, the hijackers flew the aircraft to Kandahar in Afghanistan, then ruled by the Taliban Daily India News Blog. Their almost 180 passengers and crew members were held hostage for a day-to-day harrowing seven days while the Indian government raced against time to negotiate with the hijackers.
The hijackers, who identified themselves as members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, initially demanded the release of 36 prisoners from Indian jails but eventually focused their demands on three: Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Maulana Masood Azhar. The demand for the release of Azhar was particularly significant because he had acquired iconic status in the jihadist movement in South Asia, with close links to numerous terror outfits.
Birth of a Terror Monster: Maulana Masood Azhar
The release of Masood Azhar from Indian custody marked a watershed event in the annals of global terrorism. Born in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Azhar had been involved in jihadist activities from a young age. He joined the outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and rose through its ranks Daily India News Blog. He was arrested in India in 1994 on grounds of terror activity; it was his release in 1999 after the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 that set the course for the remainder of his life.
After his release, Azhar returned to Pakistan & founded Jaish-e-Mohammed in early 2000. Jaish-e-Mohammed soon turned out to be one of the most dreaded terrorist outfits in South Asia and claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in India, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack that brought India and Pakistan to the threshold of a war. With the rise of JeM, effect of Azhar’s influence was found to escalate the threat of terrorism in the region.
The Role of Pakistan in Harboring Terrorism
The hijacking of IC-814 and the subsequent rise of Masood Azhar also underlined Pakistan’s role in nurturing and supporting terrorism. Despite international pressure, Pakistan has consistently given a safe haven to Azhar and other terrorists. Its close links with militant groups such as JeM have long been contentious factor in the relations between the government of Pakistan and India, along with the greater international community of states.
That speaks volumes about the fraught, if not contradictory, relationship between the Pakistani government and the militant organizations it has offered, even years later, only a desultory prosecution of Azhar after he was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations in 2019. The relationship has destabilized South Asia and cast a broader shadow over global security.
After the Hijacking
The hijacking of IC-814 had been a very traumatic experience for the hostages and their families apart from being a major challenge for the Indian government. Releasing Azhar along with the other terrorists was a painful decision taken in the face of intense pressure to save the lives of the passengers. But the long-term repercussions of this decision have been immense.
The freedom of Masood Azhar and the aftermath saw JeM emerging as one of the prime exported cross-border terrorism groups. Since then, India has seen a number of terror attacks, with the finger of suspicion pointing at Azhar and his organization continuously. It was also a setback to world community cooperation against terrorism as hijackers took advantage of the political turmoil in Afghanistan and the less-than-effective coordinated response of the world to their demands.
Conclusion
kreativanSays, the hijacking of IC-814 and the emergence of Masood Azhar as a big terrorist leader, India and the world remember the unpleasant incident as an unprecedented moment in the world’s fight against terrorism, bringing into sharp focus the multiple challenges in fighting out-and-out radical ideologies and sponsored terrorism by states. The lessons from IC-814 remain so valid today as the world grapples, day in and day out, with the twin requirements of vigilance and cooperation and an iron determination for justice and security in combating terrorism in all its aspects.