Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has provided insight into the challenging decisions faced by his father, Farooq Abdullah, during the 1999 IC814 hijacking. In an interview, Omar Abdullah revealed that this incident was not the first time his father was compelled to release prisoners.

He recounted a prior situation involving the kidnapping of Rubaiya Syed, the daughter of former Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, by Kashmiri separatists in 1989. In that case, the Central Government, led by Prime Minister VP Singh, agreed to release five Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front terrorists in exchange for Rubaiya’s safe return. Omar Abdullah explained that the precedent set by this negotiation was cited during the IC-814 hijacking. “The families of the hijacked victims used the Rubaiya Syed case as a benchmark, arguing that if terrorists could be released for a Home Minister’s daughter, their families deserved similar consideration. They believed that if Rubaiya Syed was deemed valuable enough for negotiation, their families were equally important,” he said.

The IC814 hijacking, which has stirred significant controversy, is also featured in the Netflix series “IC814: The Kandahar Hijack” directed by Anubhav Sinha. Omar Abdullah stressed that the precedent established by the Rubaiya Syed incident influenced the demands of the IC814 hijackers’ families, who sought the same level of consideration for their safety.

He further commented on the broader implications of negotiating with terrorists. “The Government of India had a choice during the Rubaiya Syed kidnapping. They could have chosen not to negotiate. Once they set the precedent of negotiating with terrorists, they were bound to face similar situations in the future,” Omar Abdullah remarked.

Regarding the execution of Afzal Guru, Omar Abdullah clarified that the Jammu and Kashmir government had no role in the decision. “The state government had no involvement in Afzal Guru’s execution. If state approval had been required, it would not have been granted. We would not have supported it. I do not believe that executing him served any meaningful purpose,” he stated.