Terrorism and hijacking in India and Pakistan.
by
zurreal (student)
Terrorism is of different kinds and it assumes different forms. It is indulged in by anti-social gangs. Their motives are entirely mercenary. They many indulge in indiscriminate shooting or indulge in sensational robberies. Sons and daughters of the rich are abducted and huge amounts are demanded as ransom. There is also highly organized terrorism for political purposes. In order to gain their political ends, such terrorists create terror by blowing up big buildings or by planting transistor bombs and other explosive devices in crowed places. Such organized terrorism often takes the form of Hijacking. It is piracy in the sky; lives of innocent men, women and children in the captured aeroplane are thus endangered. Hijacking has become a world-wide phenomenon. Today it is not confined to any one country or organization. India herself has been a victim several times of this form of organized terrorism.
The ways of handling hijacker are two. First, they are kept busy in negotiations on the theory that the mounting pressure on the hijackers will ultimately make them surrender after some little concessions on the part of the authorities. Nothing does to alarm them or to trigger of a violent response. That is exactly where the Pakistani authorities failed in tackling the hijack drama of an Indian air-craft in the first week of September, 1986. It is reported that the officials negotiating with the hijackers appeared to be more nervous than the hijackers themselves. That apart, when power seemed to be failing on the aircraft and the hijackers asked for power to be restored, the authorities did not comply. They filed to realize the panic effect of sudden darkness on the hijackers. When the lights failed, the hijackers started shooting indiscriminately. At the time Pakistani commandos were not available. When desperate calls went out of them, there were just a handful available, and form they acted, their training was less than adequate.
