I am surprised at the controversy over the Netflix series on the IC-814 hijacking. The series is not without its cinematic glitches, but criticism, if due must be for the right reasons. IC-814, flying from Kathmandu to Delhi on December 24, 1999, was hijacked at 4.
53 pm by five Pakistani terrorists, including Ibrahim Athar — the brother of dreaded terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar — Shahid Akhtar, Sunny Qazi, Mistri Zahoor and Shakir. I am an ardent admirer of Atal Behari Vajpayee, but I have no hesitation in saying that in the handling of this hijack, he was badly advised, and severely let down by his intelligence and anti-terrorism apparatus. The result was that India became the victim of a completely botched up attempt to avert one of the biggest humiliations it has faced at the hands of Pakistan.
Delhi, which was informed just three minutes after the hijack, was — in spite of intel of such a possibility — completely unprepared for a quick and effective response. The crisis management team, headed by the Cabinet secretary, was caught off guard, there was unacceptable delay in response time, confusion among different intelligence agencies, poor coordination, absence of contingency planning and lack of strategic clarity. This became starkly apparent, when by an unexpected stroke of luck, the plane was forced to land at Amritsar.
Authorities at the airport had instructions not to let it take off, but in the absence of decisive command-and-control communication between De.