M A I N   N E W S

CBI to probe hijacking

NEW DELHI, Jan 9 (UNI, PTI) — The CBI has set up a special investigation team (SIT) to conduct a comprehensive probe into the recent hijacking of the Kathmandu-New Delhi Indian Airlines flight by five Pakistani nationals.

The team, headed by CBI Joint Director M.L. Sharma, will specifically go into the possible involvement of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, bureau sources said today.

The CBI probe will cover several other aspects — the reported handing over of a bag containing arms to the hijackers at the Kathmandu airport by three officials of the Pakistan High Commission, security lapses in Nepal and the failure of Indian authorities to immobilise the hijacked aircraft at Amritsar.

The SIT would get down to its task, interrogating the four ISI operatives who were the associates of the hijackers. The ISI agents, arrested by the Mumbai police recently following an intelligence tip-off, had already confessed to their role of providing ground support to the hijackers and all five air pirates were Pakistani nationals.

The team would investigate the case in close cooperation with central intelligence agencies and the Home Ministry, besides the External Affairs Ministry as it would have to deal with officials of Nepal and Dubai.

The agencies the SIT would be dealing with during the investigations include Mumbai police, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the National Security Guards.

While the government had released the photographs of the hijackers, the CBI would try to establish their possible direct link with Pakistani Agencies involved in abetting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states. Reports of ISI bases in Kathmandu would also be probed thoroughly.

Asked how long it would take to complete the investigations, the sources said it was difficult to specify a time-frame as the task involved a thorough analysis of the hijacking from all possible angles.

The team is likely to visit Kathmandu and Dubai soon in search of evidence on Pakistan’s suspected role in the eight-day ordeal.

The focus of the investigation would be to obtain “clinching evidence” on Pakistan’s role in the hijacking.

Besides questioning passengers of the hijacked plane, the CBI would also be in touch with Civil Aviation Ministry and the Nepalese authorities.

Sources said efforts would be made to ascertain the circumstances relating to the hijacking, including the conspiracy behind the incident.

The special team will also look into the mysterious call by “G lal” who, claiming to be a Home Ministry official, had asked the Amritsar Airport authorities to refuel the aircraft.

The investigating agency has asked intelligence agencies to provide documents pertaining to the 35 terrorists whose release had been demanded by the hijackers besides available information about the hijackers, and sought a copy of the passengers list and other documents seized by security and intelligence agencies.

The CBI would also examine possible link of the underworld operators with the hijacking, the sources said.

Name Pak terrorist state: VHP

RAMESWARAM, Jan 9 (UNI) — The general council of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today urged the world nations to declare Pakistan and Afghanistan as “terrorist states”.

A resolution to this effect was adopted at the end of the three-day council, which concluded here this afternoon.

It said “several nations are fully aware that Pakistan and Afghanistan are patronising terrorism. But, surprisingly none has taken appropriate steps to declare these as terrorist states”.

The threat to the country’s internal security and safety of the people has two dimensions — from external terrorists and from their accomplices within the country as also the links between external terrorists and extremists in India such as those in the North-East and Naxalites.

The resolution urged the Central Government to immediately set up special courts for summary trials to try terrorism-related offences, as no terrorist arrested and tried by various courts in India had been convicted and punished. These included terrorist sponsored blasts in Coimbatore, Delhi and elsewhere.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan had spread its tentacles all over India and was also using theological institutions like madrasas, in the country’s border areas as a hide-out for subversive activities.

The VHP urged the Centre to dismantle all theological institutions within a radius of 10 km from the country’s border, and also close India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The VHP offered full support to the Central and state governments to fight terrorism in the country, the resolution said.

The VHP noted that in Tamil Nadu alone 40 Hindu leaders and activists had been murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in the past few years and not many accused were convicted. “Either the law is weak or the law enforcement is weak”, it added.

It asked the government to declare all insurgent and terrorist activities as “war on the state” and crush these forces with proactive measures. The government should come out with a White Paper on ISI activities as promised earlier, it added.