“I discovered my father was on the flight,” says S. Jaishankar while handling 1984 crisis
“I discovered my father was on the flight,” says S. Jaishankar while handling 1984 crisis
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently shared a poignant memory from his early career during a community event in Geneva. In 1984, as a young officer with the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Jaishankar was involved in managing the crisis of a hijacked Indian Airlines flight. The twist in his personal story emerged when he discovered, hours into the crisis, that his father, K. Subrahmanyam, was a passenger on that flight.
The hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 421, which occurred on August 24, 1984, saw a group of pro-Khalistani militants seize control of the plane as it was traveling from Delhi to Srinagar. The aircraft was rerouted first to Lahore, then Karachi, and finally to Dubai. During this harrowing 36-hour ordeal, Jaishankar was deeply engaged in the negotiations from the Indian side. It was only later that he learned his father, a renowned strategic analyst and journalist, was among the 79 passengers.
Jaishankar recounted the moment he found out about his father’s presence on the flight: “Four hours into the hijacking, I discovered that my father was on that flight.” He described the dual role he was forced to play—handling the crisis on an official level while simultaneously dealing with personal anxieties about his family. “I called my mother to say I couldn’t come home because of the hijacking,” he explained. “It was only then that I learned my father was on the flight.”
K. Subrahmanyam, who was then the Director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), faced a critical situation as he required urgent medical attention for his diabetes. The crisis was further exacerbated when the hijackers threatened to kill one passenger every half hour unless their demands were met. Fortunately, negotiations led by UAE officials, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, were successful, and all passengers were safely released.
Reflecting on the Netflix series “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” which dramatizes a separate 1999 hijacking incident, Jaishankar noted, “I haven’t seen the film, so I don’t want to comment.” However, he criticized how such portrayals often simplify complex situations and government responses, offering only a hero’s perspective rather than capturing the full reality.
Jaishankar’s father, who passed away in 2011, significantly influenced India’s nuclear policy, advocating for a “no first use” doctrine and the development of a credible nuclear deterrent. The 1984 hijacking remains a significant personal and professional memory for Jaishankar, marking a period where his professional duties intersected with deeply personal concerns.
