The convictions in the IC-814 hijack case by a Patiala court hide a fact that the CBI grudgingly admits: India’s failure — despite sufficient diplomatic pressure — to bring to trial the five Pakistani hijackers and three militants released as a swap for the hostages in Kandahar.

While there is evidence to prove the presence of the perpetrators in Pakistan (in the form of addresses, telephone numbers, confessions of arrested militants), the fact is that the IC-814 hijack case is one instance where the USA failed India, despite the fact that there was an American hostage on board, a psychotherapist by the name of Jeanne Moore.

On conviction day, even CBI Director Vijay Shankar regrets the fact that the five hijackers and the three militants — Maulana Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar — still remain on the list of “absconding accused” and on India’s “most wanted” list respectively.

Speaking to The Indian Express, he said: “Despite our best possible effort at the highest level, despite Pakistan knowing full well that Maulana Masood, his brother and others are on Pakistani soil, Pakistan has refused to acknowledge their presence and join the global war against terror.”

On the failed diplomatic pressure, the CBI chief admitted, “The most intriguing aspect of the hijack case has been the stand of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which registered its own case after the Kandahar hijack due to the presence of Jeanne Moore. The FBI was given all possible help by the CBI and yet its own role can only be described as a major disappointment for us.”

... contd.