'This is an issue that has to be dealt with under the umbrella of quiet diplomacy'
In the four days since Flight 814's hijacking, there have been a slew of opinion from various quarters, some informed and others not so informed, on the options before the Government of India in freeing the hostages.
Should a commando operation be mounted against the hijackers? Should negotiations take precedence over action? Should the hijackers be allowed safe passage? Should their demands be conceded in order to secure the release of the passengers?
Sifting through various options on the Rediff Chat was Commodore C Uday Bhaskar, an expert on security matters.
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:40 IST)
Hi Everybody! I am back on the Chat.
Harish (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:18 IST)
Hello COMMODORE, how costly was the mistake of letting the plane get out of Indian soil, ie, Amritsar?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:41 IST)
Harish: It would be too early to arrive at any definitive conclusion about Amritsar now. Let us see how IC 814 is resolved.
Mana (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:24 IST)
I cannot believe that our UN rep did not get in touch with the Taleban when representatives of every other country got in touch with them. How could our government be so callous?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:44 IST)
Manna: This is an issue that has to be dealt with under the umbrella of "quiet diplomacy". You may recollect that contact had been established with the Taleban fairly early on in this entire episode. It may be hasty to indict the government without having all the facts.
Mansa (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:29 IST)
Mr Bhaskar, what do you think will happen in the next 24 hours? Are we prepared to meet all contingencies in Kandahar?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:45 IST)
Mansa: It is a wait and watch situation. We hope that the entire incident will be satisfactorily resolved -- very soon. There will be contingency plans but all of that would be under wraps at this stage.
ADutta (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:37 IST)
Mr Bhaskar, Good Evening. More than 3 days and no solution in sight. How good will this wait and watch policy be for India? Isn't it only to score a few points in diplomacy that we are risking the lives of 150-odd people?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:52 IST)
ADutta: No, on the other hand it is an attempt to save the lives of the passengers on board. The effectiveness of this policy will be determined once this incident reaches its resolution.
Rohit (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:30 IST)
Hi Comm., What should be India's next move?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:53 IST)
Rohit: The negotiations are going on just now, and India's next move will really be determined by the kind of demands being made by the hijackers.
ADutta (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:45 IST)
Mr Bhaskar, Why don't Indians adopt the Israeli stance in combating terrorism?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:58 IST)
ADutta: In comparing India with Israel, we are really talking about their respective strategic cultures. This, as you know, is the characteristic that defines the manner in which a State and its ruling elite deal with military force -- either proactively when it has to be applied in the furtherance of a politico-military objective, or the response when any kind of force, cover or overt, is applied on the State. Strategic culture is a complex distillation of hundreds of years of geography, history, and politics. Thus the Israeli strategic culture is quite distinctive and in this present instance, almost everybody invokes the Entebbe raid.
India, on the other hand, has a complete evolution and trajectory in terms of the strategic culture that characterises India. It is for these reasons that India is unlikely to emulate Israel and vice versa. Whether it is changing or not can be determined a few years down the road.
sureshr (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:48 IST)
Hello sir, diplomacy or straight action? What's the answer of the hour?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:59 IST)
sureshr: A bit of both!
sureshr (Tue Dec 28 1999 7:2 IST)
What diplomacy is doing, we all know!!!!! But what is action doing?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 7:12 IST)
sureshr: This is a very fluid and complex situation. You may have heard that the hijackers have just announced three of their demands -- release of 35 militants, US $200 million as ransom, and the body of Sajjad Afghani (the last demand is yet to be confirmed). So in that sense, the negotiations are taking some shape and direction.
Sanjay K (Tue Dec 28 1999 7:0 IST)
Commodore Bhaskar, I thought that terrorist hijackings are supposed to be a concern of the international community? Why is it that there is a difference in international reaction when 'Western' people are taken hostage in hijackings, and when Indians are taken hostage? Haven't you noticed that Western news coverage has prominently mentioned that the hijacking has "raised temperatures among the Indian public"? Isn't it extremely condescending to refer to our justifiable and natural reaction in that way? Would these "Western" media ever say the same about their own public reaction, were they in the same boat? Why are we singled out for such niceties, Commodore?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 7:16 IST)
Sanjay K: You have made a very pertinent observation. The media, particularly the audio-visual medium, is both shaping and influencing the manner in which this hijacking is both unfolding and managed. I also noticed that many of the western TV networks preferred to highlight the so-called relative anger and anguish -- which is no doubt genuine and legitimate -- but the spin being put on the story was quite obvious. I am not aware if you are familiar with the writing of Foucault -- but there is a very definitive linkage between power and narrative. In today's high speed information age, we have a surge of data and news, but the facts can be presented in a very selective manner. That is what we are now witnessing.
oMAN (Tue Dec 28 1999 6:52 IST)
Mr Bhaskar, why have we been unable to free the hostages so far?
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 7:22 IST)
oMan: Primarily because this is a very complex hijacking operation with many undercurrents to it. The aircraft is not on Indian territory and therefore the options available are also restricted. But since the negotiations are underway, perhaps the resolution will be arrived at sooner rather than later.
Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Tue Dec 28 1999 7:24 IST)
To Everyone: Thanks for the interaction. We hope there will be good news all around in the course of the night. Since we are unlikely to establish contact in the near future, let me wish everybody a Happy New Year with the caveat that perhaps we need to reflect on what kind of tranquility and dignity the next millennium will usher in. Good bye!
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