Remembering The IC-814 Hijacking: The Rise Of Pakistan’s Terror Architect Masood Azhar

The hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 on Christmas Eve 1999, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, has been revisited in numerous books and Bollywood films over the years. Recently, it has garnered renewed attention through a fictional series on an OTT platform.

Controversial Credits

The drama series in question has sparked controversy by acknowledging two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in its credits, despite their lack of involvement in counter-terrorism operations throughout their careers. One officer spent his entire career with the Intelligence Bureau and served as Joint Director of the Multi-Agency Centre during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The other held the position of Director of the Special Protection Group, which is responsible for safeguarding the Prime Minister of India.

Reopening Old Wounds

The series has reignited painful memories of a time when the West was celebrating the defeat of the Soviet Union by Afghan Mujahideen, long before the hijacking and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These so-called freedom fighters were later labeled as terrorists by the West after the 9/11 attacks. During this period, Pakistan-sponsored militants were often romanticized by Western media in Jammu and Kashmir as rugged Pathans. Meanwhile, India faced severe sanctions from the West, except for France, following its nuclear tests at Pokhran in May 1998. The country was treated as an outcast for protecting its interests against threats from its northern and western neighbors.

The Hijacking Conspiracy

The plot to hijack IC-814 was orchestrated at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi by Pakistani intelligence, aiming to force the Indian government to release Harkat-ul-Ansar General Secretary Masood Azhar from Jammu jail. This plan was set in motion after Azhar’s fellow commander, Sajjad Afghani, was killed during an alleged jailbreak at Kot Balwal on July 15, 1999. Concerned that Indian intelligence might eliminate Azhar as well, his brother Mohammed Ibrahim Athar Alvi and other associates utilized the ISI network in Kathmandu to execute the hijacking.

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Intelligence Failures

Indian intelligence agencies were caught off guard by the hijacking. This is evident from the fact that a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operative was on board IC-814 at the time. This operative eventually retired from RAW in May 2022. India’s global influence was so limited then that the Indian Ambassador to the UAE was denied entry to the Abu Dhabi base where the hijacked plane had landed. Furthermore, India had no ties with the ruling Taliban, leaving the national security establishment unprepared during the hostage exchange in Kandahar. As a result, Masood Azhar, another Harkat-ul-Ansar terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh, and a token Kashmiri militant Mushtaq Zargar were released in exchange for the hostages.