I had opposed the release of militants in Kandahar: Omar

New Delhi: In the midst of the Congress blasting BJP over handling of the Kandahar hijack episode, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has said that he had "opposed" the release of the militants in the 1999 incident.
"I opposed it and I (had) said this is going to be very costly and we will pay a heavy price in days to come and we did," Abdullah, whose party NC was part of the NDA regime during the hijack, said.
Comparing the Kandahar hijack case with the 1989 kidnap of PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's daughter Rubaiya, he said, "I think I regret many things".
"I regret what was done when there was a different government and they released five militants for the daughter of Mr Mufti Sayeed. Did we not have bent down before them, it would not have sold the nation (and that) we could not stand against them".
"So the same thing happened again. It was repeated when those people were taken to Kandahar. We are all responsible for that".
Abdullah also took a swipe at the media for its coverage of the protests by relatives of the hostages in the Indian Airlines plane.
Abdullah was J and K Chief Minister when IC-814 was hijacked and taken to Kandahar.
17/04/09 Kashmirlive.com

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Categories: Air India Domestic Apr 2009, Foreign Apr 2009, NACIL Apr 2009, Safety Apr 2009