IC-814: Centre seeks FBI help

The Government wants the US authorities to extend cooperation in the IC-814 hijack case and allow its sleuths to participate in the interrogation of former Taliban foreign minister Abdul Wakil Muttawakil. India has, however, been told that instead of a face-to-face encounter, they can only send a questionnaire for Muttawakil and the replies to the interrogation will be returned at the earliest to New Delhi.

Muttawakil — the highest ranking Taliban leader now in US custody — was negotiating with both the Indian Government and the hijackers for the release of 180 passengers on board the plane. The CBI said the five hijackers — Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Ibrahim Athar, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter Sayed and Shakir — had used Muttawakil’s jeep to take away the three prisoners — Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Zargar — released in exchange for the passengers of IC-814 after a week-long ordeal. The agency has also alleged that Muttawakil was also involved in the conspiracy. He had also reportedly humiliated then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh who had flown to Kandahar along with three terrorists by keeping him waiting at the tarmac for over 15 minutes. Denied any formal reception, Singh had continued to stand there while the terrorists were whisked away.

The CBI, probing the hijack, wanted to go and question Muttawakil since it was always felt that the Taliban were on the hijackers’ side. ‘‘We hoped to get information from Muttawakil since he was the only one who knew the hijackers from close quarters. But now that we cannot go, we are preparing a questionnaire to be sent to US,’’ said a MHA official.

Home Minister L.K. Advani had reportedly taken up the issue of questioning Muttawakil with Deputy Secretary of state Richard Armitage and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during their visits. The FBI has also registered a case against unknown persons following a complaint lodged by an American national, who was among the IC-814 hostages.