During a week of suspense and horror for over 150 passengers and their families with threats of blowing up the aircraft, five hijackers -- Ibrahim Athar (brother of Masood Azhar), Sunny Ahmed Qazi, S A Sayed alias Doctor, Z I Mistri alias Bhola and R G Verma alias Shakir -- who commandeered aircraft to Kandahar, negotiated with Indian officials and got Azhar and two other Omar Sayeed and Mushtaq Zargar released from jails in India in exchange for passengers.

The BJP-led NDA government suffered the ignominy when External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh escorted the three terrorists in a special aircraft to Kandahar to secure the freedom of passengers.

CBI had charged 10 people out of which seven including the five hijackers were still absconding and are in Pakistan.

An Interpol Red Corner notice has been issued against all seven.