by Anil Jaggia
Shrestha / S Mrs
Simran / INF
Singh / Dilbagh Mr
Singh / Iqbal Mr
Singh / R P Mr
Singh / Rajinder Mr
Singh / Satnam Mr
Singh / Vikramjit Mr
Singh / Virender Mr
Singhotia / S Mr
Singhotia / S Mrs
Soni / D K Mr
Swarup / Anami Mr
Tamrakar / G Mr
Tandon / B K Mr (Dr)
Taneja / Inder Mr
Tayal / Rakesh Kumar Mr
Tolia / Manjula Mrs
Tomar / S B S Mr
Tulasi / M Mr
Tyagi / Chirag Mast (ch)
Tyagi / Girish Mr
Tyagi / Pooja Mrs
Verma / I Mrs
Verma / L Mr
Verma / R G Mr
Verma / S Mast (ch)
Verma / U INF
Vohra / A INF
Vohra / Rajneesh Mr
Vohra / S Mrs
Ward / P Mr
Annexure - IV
In the Dark
Rajesh Naithani, 47, Merchant Navy Chief Engineer V-Ships, Monte Carlo, a passenger on board the hijacked flight, kept a personal log during the period of their detainment. Here is what his account reads:
December 24
1703 hrs. Pilot announces on PA system that plane had been taken over by hijackers, and to stay calm and do as instructed by the hijackers. Hijackers in masks brandishing knives and revolvers start shouting and kicking passengers. All male passengers are blindfolded and asked to put their heads on their knees and keep the seat belts on. Females and children are also asked to bow down and cover their heads.
Violent touchdown at some airport around 1900 hrs. (Amritsar) Plane keeps taxiing for about half an hour, taking 180-degree turnings. Takes off again only to land again after 10-15 mins. (Lahore)
Plane takes off after some time. All this while everybody has to stay in crouched position with eyes blindfolded.
Plane lands again after three and a half hours approximately. (Al-Minhad, Dubai) Some passengers are off loaded.
December 25
Plane takes off again to land again at 0810 hrs.
December 26
Hijackers inform that Indian government is not interested in saving us at all as no response from our government. All of us will have to face death if no response from the government.
After hijack drama started, first meal of khafoos and rajma served to passengers at 2130 hrs. With the meal the plastic cutlery in which it was written ‘Specially packed for Ariana Airways’ gave us the clue that we were somewhere in Afghanistan.
1.30 hrs. Heard banging noises coming from underneath the aircraft as if something is being opened. During this period everybody is blindfolded and asked to lie low.
December 27
1030 hrs. Asked to blindfold and sit in crouched position.
1100 hrs. Islamic lecture on aircraft’s PA system.
1145 hrs. Breakfast of omelette.
1900 hrs. Heard some jet plane landing, probably with Indian delegation.
2100 hrs. All foreigners’ passports checked and list compiled.
2130 hrs. All Nepalese passports checked and list compiled.
2230 hrs. Announced that food has been brought by the Indian plane and that negotiations have started with Indian delegation. Never got the food.
December 28
Blackout occurs inside the plane since APU packs up 0810 hrs. Every fourth window shutter is opened to let some light in but since light is not enough starboard side, every fourth shutter is also opened (Plane is standing in N-S direction). Main airport terminal building is open and ‘Kandahar International Airport’ written on it in English language visible. Passengers aware for the first time that the plane is in Afghanistan.
1030 hrs. Self approach the hijackers through Burger and offer my services to assist flight engineer in restoring power back. Taken to cockpit for same. Overheard a conversation between the chief and Burger which was as follows. Burger: “Sir, it is time we gave them a deadline.” Chief: “Be patient. What’s the hurry.” Gestures with both hands and pointing outside: “You are comfortable here so no need to rush.”
1630 hrs. It is announced that some delegation is going to visit us. No one to move one’s head even and not to try and talk to the delegates even through the eyes. If not obeyed we will be shot. Also informed by Burger that he is a crack-shot and never misses.
1730 hrs. Non-veg food served.
1845 hrs. Lights come on.
December 29
1030 hrs. Breakfast served.
1300 hrs. Captain announced that talks are progressing.
1900 hrs. Some ladies, children and some sick people are sent to executive class.
2200 hrs. Announced by Burger that talks have failed.
2230 hrs. Announced that ladies and children are to be exchanged.
December 30
0130 hrs. All ladies and children return to economy class.
0830 hrs. Burger begins with small Islamic verse, and warns of dire consequences as Indian delegation is not responding positively to their demands. Hijackers will start shooting passengers one by one.
1300 hrs. Announced that Afghanistan government has intervened and talks have resumed.
1330 hrs. Burger informs that 50 per cent demands have been met.
1340 hrs. Blackout but power restored in very short time.
1345 hrs. Non-veg lunch served. For vegetarians half an orange or 50 ml Mirinda.
1435 hrs. Burger informs that deal has been struck and that we should be free to go after the exchange.
2035 hrs. Dinner of burgers and cole slaw.
December 31
0100 hrs. ‘Gabbar Singh’ (a Nepali comedian) gets hit by Bhola for imitating him.
0340 hrs. Blackout.
0940 hrs. All windows are opened.
1130 hrs. Breakfast of a glass of milk and three biscuits.
1245 hrs. Captain Sharan announces on the PA system that all modalities have been completed and that we should be freed today. 1330 hrs. Toilets cleaned by seven Afghans.
1400 hrs. Got respective hand baggage from executive class.
1430 hrs. Started segregating people as per their directions.
1500 hrs. Told that there will be a delay.
1640 hrs. Alliance Air plane lands. Bhola runs in the aisle shouting, “Land ho gaya.”
1730 hrs. Hijackers leave.
1740 hrs. Indian delegation representative Mr Doval walks in saying all are now safe.
1900 hrs. Boarded A320.
1925 hrs. Take off for home sweet home.
Release of Following Terrorists Demanded by Hijackers
Name
S/o
Origin
Group
Arrested on
Particulars
1
Abdul Hai Malik alias Umar Farooq
Mohammad Ajmal
Punjab, Pakistan
Harkat-ul-Ansar
18-Nov-96
He was tasked to disrupt the elections of September-October 1996. Charged with the attempted murder of resident of Maisuma in downtown Srinagar.
2
Ahmed Umar alias Syed Sheikh
Syed Ahmed Sheikh
London, UK
Harkat-ul-Ansar
31-0ct-94
A British national and a graduate from the London School of Economics, he is Pakistani by birth. Ahmed Sheikh played a major role in raising funds and organising support for the Harkat-ul-Ansar in UK. In October 1994, he organised the kidnapping of four foreign tourists from a hotel in Paharganj, New Delhi, to secure the release of Masood Azhar. All the hostages were released in a commando operation by Delhi and UP police in Saharanpur, where he shot an inspector of the UP Police.
3
Alam Khan
Behram Khan
Muzaffarabad,
POK
Al-Umar
20-Nov-91
Although Khan was a trained terrorist, his services were used mainly as a courier and guide for arms shipments by AI-Umar, an organisation close to Pakistan’s Sardar Abdul Qayoom . Khan and named after Srinagar religious leader Moulvi Umar Farooq. He was caught by the army in Kupwara.
4
Basharat Ali alias Assadullah Ikramullah
Aii Asga
Mirpur, POK
Kashmir Freedom Movement
2-Jan-95
Trained at Mirpur in POK, Ali was briefed by Pakistan Army officials before entering India in August 1994. He visited several parts of the country, including New Delhi and Muzaffarnagar, to build his organisation’s network.
5
Farooq Ahmed Raja
Mohammad Sher
Kotli, POK
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
19-Apr-95
Having joined the JKLF in June 1992, and trained in Afghanistan, Raja entered the Kashmir Valley through Kupwara in August 1994. He was subsequently kidnapped in the course of a dispute with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and disarmed. He stayed with Yasin Malik in the JKLF office in Masuma in Srinagar and was arrested in a covert operation.
6
Ghulam Mohammad Bhat
Hatta Bhat
POK
Al-Jehad
20-Dec-94
Indian records list Bhat’s name as Gulla Bhat. He was principally an ideological worker for AI-Jehad, motivating and indoctrinating recruits.
7
Jaffer Ali
Sabir Ali
Kotli POK
Al-Barq
30-Jun-96
Indian records list Jaffer Ali’s name as Zaffar Ali, code-named Abdul Rashid. AIi was motivated by his uncle, Khazir Mohammad, who worked as a cook in an AI Barq training camp. He is described as highly motivated, and deeply religious.
8
Maulana Masood Azhar
Allah Baksh
Kauser Colony, Model Bhawalpur, Pakistan
Harkat-ul-Ansar
11-Feb-94
A religious evangelist of the Deobandi school, Azhar received military training in Afghanistan before arriving in India via Dhaka on January 29, 1994. Travelling on a fake Portugese passport and claiming to be a journalist, he toured the country, exhorting Muslims for a Jehad against India. As Secretary General of Harkat-ul-Ansar, he was responsible for motivating Sajjad Afghani to lead military operations in Kashmir.
9
Mohammad Arif Khan alias Walid alias Rashid Ahmed Bhat
Alam Din Khan
Dastgir Mohalla, Karachi, Pakistan
Harkat-ul-Ansar
4-May-95
Trained at the Harkat-ul-Ansar camp at Maskar in Afghanistan, Khan was inducted into the Kashmir Valley in May 1994 through the Lolab area. He participated in several armed actions in 1994-1995. However, evidently disenchanted with the war in Kashmir, he wanted to get back; arrested on Bangladesh border.
10
Mohammad Hassan Shafiq alias Abu Jindal
late Imdad Ullah,
Chinant Jhena, Pakistan
Harkat-ul-Ansar
12-May-95
Although the hijackers identified Abu Jindal as Mohammad Hassan Shafia, police records list his name as Mohammad Shafi Malik. Malik was present at Charar-e-Sharif when the shrine burned down in 1995, and it was his interrogation which made it clear that Mast Gul had ordered the destruction of Charar-e-Sharif. Trained at Khost in Afghanistan, he holds a PG Degree in Arabic.
11
Mohammad Iqram Balouch
Mir Dalai Kha
Quetta, Baluchistan, Pakistan
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
1-Oct-95
Balouch was active on the border from 1990, mostly smuggling arms from Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was once arrested by the Pakistan Police for gun-running. Trained in Afghanistan, he was persuaded to join the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen by the Jamaat-e-lslami.
12
Mohammad Ishfaq Rajput
Mohammad Shafi
Sialkot, Pakistan
Muslim Mujahideen
2-Jan-95
Rajput entered the Fateh Gali in Baramulla with a large consignment of arms and explosives, but for reasons that did not emerge during interrogation, he immediately wished to return to Pakistan. Rajput was deserted by his companions and was arrested.
13
Mohammad Nazir Khan alias Salahuddin Saifullah
Hajlal Khan
B-79 Block F, Qausar Niyazi Colony, Karachi, Pakistan
Not available
Not available
Khan was arrested by the Delhi Police for involvement in a planned series of bomb blasts in the city. A Karachi resident, he is believed to be affiliated to far-right groups in that city. He is now being held in Tihar Jail.
14
Mohammad Sofi Jamat
Buland Khan
Kotli, POK
AI-Barq/JKLF
17-Feb-96
Although the terrorists gave Jamat’s place of residence as Kotli, official records list it as being Kel in POK. A plumber by profession, and a long-time activist of the Jamait-ul-Tulbam, Jamat was recruited by the Inter-Services Intelligence and sent to Kashmir valley in September, 1994.
15
Mohammad Yusuf Khwaja alias Asif
Mohammad Ayub
Nakoti Wadi-e-Lippa, Muzaffarabad, POK
Harkat-ul-Ansar
31-Aug-96
Khwaja was among the Harkat-ul-Ansar’s top arms couriers, landling shipments of weapons into the Kashmir Valley.
16
Mohammed Syed Khan alias Farooq
Mohammad Suleiman
Noman Pora Bagh, POK
Jamait-ui-Mujahideen
21-Aug-94
Trained at the Yawar training camp in Afghanistan, Khan served principally in the Kupwara area. His tenure was marked by feuds between his unit at the local, mainly Kashmiri, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen attempted to assassinate him on three occasions.
17
Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar alias Latram
Ghulam Rasool Zargar
Jamia Masjid, Srinagar
Al-Umar
15-May-92
A coppersmith by trade before he trained in Pakistan, Zargar continues to be the head of the Al-Umar. Zargar is responsible for over 40 murders and was a key figure in the terrorist ascendancy in downtown Srinagar. The Al-Umar chief also imposed a ban on Maruti vehicles in Srinagar.
18
Muzzamil Ahmed Dar alias Sohail
Ghulam Mohammad
Kotli, POK
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
19-Apr-95
Having entered the Kashmir Valley through Athmuqam, Dar participated in attacks against troops in December 1994 and January 1995 in Srinagar’s Batmaloo area. He owes allegiance to the JKLF’s Amanullah Khan faction.
19
Nasarullah Mansoor Langriyal
Mohammad Shafi Langriyal
Jalal Pur, Gujarat, Pakistan
Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami
16-Nov-93
Participated in a massive action against the Border Security Force in June 1993 at Deesa, Doda, in which 10 troopers and 6 civilians were killed. Langriyal was also responsible for the kidnapping and murder of another BSF trooper. A highly motivated operative.
20
Nashi Ullah alias Jangzua
Nazir Ahmed
Bazaraq Parwan, Afghanistan
Lashkar-e-Taiba
13-Jul-93
Nashi Ullah, listed in Indian records as Nasrullah, is one of the few Afghan terrorists to have surrendered to the Indian armed forces. He was infiltrated into the Jammu area in May 1994, but came to realise his comrades were indulging in criminal activities.
21
Nasir Ikram alias Abu Ubaid
Qazi Ikram-ul Haq
Mastaloo, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Jamait-ul-Mujahideen
21-Aug-94
Ikram was arrested almost immediately after ente
ring the Kashmir Valley. He was trained at the Yawar camp in Afghanistan.
22
Nasir Mohammad Soudozi alias Aftab
Sakhi
Mohammad
Nawab Goru, Police Station Palandiri, Rawalkot, POK
Harkat-ul-Ansar
29-Apr-96
Trained at the Yawar camp in Afghanistan, Soudozi first worked at the Harkat-ul-Ansar office in Muzaffarbad, handling inter-organisational coordination in liaison with Kashmir to handle fund transfers from Pakistan.
23
Nassir Ahmed Gujjar alias Azim
Mohammad Bashir
Mirpur, POK
Muslim Mujahideen
2-Apr-96
Trained in Pakistan, Gujjar was tasked by his handlers to attack Indian Army posts in the Rajouri area.
24
Navaid Iqbal Bhat alias Tahir
Mohammad Iqbal
Sumani Mirpur, POK
Kashmir Freedom Movement
2-Jan-95
Bhat belongs to a little-known and marginal group, but is highly motivated and trained. After entering India illegally, he visited several cities, issuing press notes and pamphlets seeking public support. He is currently held under the Public Safety ActG20.
25
Nisar Ahmed Rajput alias Wasim alias Tariq
Mohammad Zaman
Dhana Kotli, POK
Harkat-ui-Jihad Islami
19-Apr-95
An active member of the Harkat-ul-Ansar, Rajput was briefly released in October 1999 when one set of criminal cases against him collapsed. The Pakistani national was immediately re-arrested on fresh terrorism-related charges.
26
Rahil Ahmed Hashmi
Mohammad Mushtaq Hashmi
Bhag, POK
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
12-Sep-95
One of the JKLF’s better known ideologues and organisers, Hashmi was arrested from Bemina in Srinagar.
27
Saifullah Khalid alias Mohammad Ubaid
Sher Khan
Mong, Palandhari, Poonch, POK
Jamait-ul-Mujahideen
14-Oct-93
Trained at Khost in Afghanistan, Khalid started off with All Barq before joining the Jamait-ul-Mujahideen. He was tasked to establish high-altitude forest hideouts in Anantnag at the time of his arrest.