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Saturday, January 1,
2000, Chandigarh, India
Jaswant brings hostages home
Emotional
scenes of reunion at airport
NEW DELHI, Dec 31 — The country’s
longest aircraft hijack ordeal ended today with the 154
hostages plus crew of the Indian Airlines IC-814 aircraft
returning home after eight days — hours away from
the new millennium.
French hostage
Francoise Vougla (in wheelchair), accompanied by an
unidentified woman (not a hostage), arrives at New
Delhi's international airport 31 December 1999, after
spending eight days in the hijacked Indian Airlines plane
in Afghanistan. — AFP photo
SPECIAL EDITORIAL
Thank God, but
questions remain
by
Hari Jaisingh
The Vajpayee government has come out of
one of its worst crises, but not without paying a
heavy price. Notwithstanding the serious
reservations expressed by Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister Farooq Abdullah and several experts on
the release of the Pakistani cleric, Maulana
Masood Azhar, and other militants, the people, by
and large, may take a generous view of the
concessions extracted by the hijackers under
extraordinary circumstances. |
Freedom
after 8 days of agony
KANDAHAR,
Dec 31 — All hostages on Indian Airlines IC-814
walked to freedom today in an apparently peaceful end to
their ordeal after India agreed to free three Kashmiri
militants.
PM defends
release of 3 militants
NEW
DELHI, Dec 31 — Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee tonight defended the release of three
militants in exchange for 155 hostages of the
hijacked Indian Airlines aircraft saying that the
government was able to “substantially scale
down their demand”. |
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Hijackers head for Pak
KANDAHAR,
Dec 31 — A decision has been made on the future of
the hijackers of the Indian Airlines jet after talks here
today with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh,
officials said in Kandahar.
Punjab Ministry
expanded
CHANDIGARH,
Dec 31 — The strength of the Punjab Council
of Ministers rose to 41 with the induction of 15
new members here today.
In the much-awaited expansion, Mr Parkash Singh
Badal has elevated 10 Ministers of State to
Cabinet rank and added five new ones, namely Mr
Adesh Partap Singh, Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Mr
Natha Singh Dalam, Mrs S.K. Sandhu and Mr J.S.
Garcha.
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