IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack follows the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight and the efforts of authorities to rescue the passengers and crew. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
On December 24, 1999, a plot is hatched in Kathmandu to hijack Indian Airlines Flight IC 814, carrying 176 passengers from Kathmandu to Delhi.
First Officer Ram Chandra Yadav of the Indian Embassy in Nepal suspects that the ISI is plotting something and informs various Indian agencies, including the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB).
However, his warnings are not taken seriously. He continues investigating and discovers that the people he suspects were in contact with a man working in air catering who is scheduled to be on a flight to Delhi.
Ram then tries to prevent IC 814 from taking off but fails. Soon after takeoff, the flight is hijacked by five armed men, nicknamed Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar.
With a gun to Captain Devi Sharma’s head, they take control of the flight and demand to be taken to Kabul instead of Delhi.
The MEA, IB, and RAW begin working together, with officials like Vinay Kaul, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Crisis Management Group, and Vijaybhan Singh, the Minister of External Affairs, among those strategizing a solution.
The agencies learn that the family of a terrorist named Masood, a significant figure in the world of Islamic Jihad who is imprisoned in India, planned the hijacking to secure his release.
They also identify the hijacker nicknamed Doctor as Amjad Farooqui, a brutal militant with close ties to the Taliban, leading them to believe that the ISI’s involvement is minimal.
As Captain Sharma informs the hijackers that the flight does not have enough fuel to reach Kabul, they decide to land in Lahore for refueling.
However, Pakistan refuses to give the flight, which is running on dangerously low fuel, permission to land, leaving the hijackers with no choice but to land in Amritsar, India.
This gives the Indian authorities an opportunity to free the passengers, and they plan to send in police commandos to kill the hijackers.
However, this decision requires approval from various parties and individuals. While the order is passed through multiple chains of command, the ATC stalls refueling to buy time for the authorities.
Around forty-five minutes later, the hijackers lose patience, attacking two passengers, one of whom dies. They then force Captain Sharma to take off without refueling.
The flight heads towards Lahore with little fuel, creating a high risk of crashing. This results in the Pakistani authorities allowing the flight to land and refuel in Lahore.
The flight cannot proceed to Kabul due to a lack of night landing facilities, so the Indian authorities suggest taking it to Dubai for the night.
They seek the help of the US. With their help, the Indian authorities persuade the UAE Sheikhs to ask the hijackers to release women and children in exchange for refueling.
As a result, the hijackers release most of the women and children, as well as an injured passenger and the body of the deceased passenger.
On the morning of December 25, the flight is taken to Kandahar, in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where the crew and passengers finally get food and rest.
Meanwhile, news of the hijacking spreads across India, leading to unfair media criticism of Captain Sharma for not delaying in Amritsar.
However, a reporter named Nandini defends the captain. She often clashes with her boss, Shalini, over the headlines and the information being shared with the public.
As the Indian government initially refuses to negotiate with the hijackers, the relatives of the passengers express their discontent in the media and even storm press conferences to pressure the government.
When the hijackers hear about the Indian government’s refusal to negotiate, they plan to take the plane to Delhi and crash it into the Parliament building.
To prevent this, Captain Sharma surreptitiously jettisons fuel, knowing that he will be killed if the hijackers catch him. With limited fuel, the flight cannot leave Kandahar.
India also requests the UN to send a delegation to Afghanistan along with the media. The UN agrees, and the media presence allows the Indian authorities to monitor the situation.
As days pass, the passengers face increasing difficulties. Under pressure from the protesting families of the passengers, the Indian government finally agrees to negotiate with the hijackers.
At the same time, in Kathmandu, Ram continues catching and interrogating those involved in the hijacking and discovers that there are seventeen kilograms of RDX on IC 814.
Ending explained:
Challenges in the negotiation process
The negotiation team sent by the Indian authorities comprises Ranjan Mishra from RAW, who acts as the team leader, along with DRS and Abhijeet Kumar from the MEA, and Mukul Mohan from IB, who will be talking to the hijackers.
The team is informed about the explosives on board the flight, a fact that even most of the hijackers are unaware of. It is assumed that if negotiations fail, these explosives will be used to blow up the plane.
Another factor complicating the negotiations is the presence of Kailash Chauhan, the First Officer from the Indian High Commission in Kathmandu, on the flight.
The Indian authorities have deliberately kept Chauhan’s name off the passenger list, fearing it could give the hijackers additional leverage.
Five days into the hijacking, the hijackers present their demands to the negotiation team, which include the release of several terrorists detained by Indian forces and a payment of $200 million.
Mukul Mohan proves to be a tough negotiator, unwilling to give in to all their demands. As both sides grow increasingly frustrated, the negotiations reach a stalemate.
DRS had convinced Mr. Muttawakil, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, to speak with Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, to assist the Indian authorities in the negotiations.
However, the Indian authorities lose Muttawakil’s support when Mukul Mohan requests permission to allow Indian soldiers to conduct a military operation to end the hijacking, despite the Taliban’s insistence on avoiding bloodshed during Ramadan.
The masterminds behind the hijacking
The negotiation team discovers that Osama Bin Laden, currently residing in Afghanistan and backed by a powerful faction of the Taliban, is involved in the hijacking.
Masood’s father had sought help from Ilyas Kashmiri to secure his son’s release. Kashmiri then tasked Amjad, nicknamed Doctor, with the hijacking.
Osama Bin Laden respects Masood’s father, so he became involved in Amjad’s plan, which was orchestrated in Kathmandu with some assistance from the ISI.
The ISI supported Amjad as retaliation against India for tapping General Musharraf’s phone, which allowed India to expose his lies.
Ibrahim, Masood’s brother, is identified as Chief, the hijacker communicating directly with Mukul Mohan. The negotiation team must now determine what they are willing to sacrifice to secure the freedom of the hostages.
The end of the hijacking
On the seventh day, as Mukul Mohan tries to restart negotiations, DRS once again persuades Muttawakil to intervene, leading to his involvement in the talks.
Muttawakil makes it clear to the hijackers that they cannot refuse to negotiate and are not allowed to demand money or the release of dead bodies.
He warns them that if an agreement is not reached by the following day, the plane will be refueled and forced to leave Kandahar.
This time, the negotiation team and the hijackers reach an agreement: the Indian authorities will release three terrorists, including Masood, in exchange for the release of the passengers.
The Indian government is reluctant to free three influential terrorists but has no other choice. After eight long days, the demands of the hijackers are met, and the passengers and crew of IC 814 are released and returned home.
Osama Bin Laden then hosts a celebration for the hijackers and the released terrorists at his residence in Afghanistan. Notably, ISI agents are not invited, indicating their limited involvement in the hijacking.
Under orders from the Taliban, the explosives are removed from IC 814. That same night, ISI’s head in Kathmandu is deported for possession of explosives.
Although Ram, whose assets were being targeted by the ISI, denies any involvement, it is implied that he orchestrated the deportation to settle scores.
The released terrorists go on to cause significant loss of innocent lives. Masood, for instance, founded Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a terrorist group responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Indian history.
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