Amidst the raging controversy over the newly released propaganda series IC 814 for absolving Pakistan and ISI over the Kandahar hijacking, the Congress party has trained its guns on the BJP, alleging it to be ‘soft on terror’ over the release of three terrorists by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 1999. Several Congress leaders spearheaded by the party’s National Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and its regional units have alleged that while Congress caught dreaded terrorists, the BJP government set them free.
Taking to X, Supriya Shrinate lauded the Netflix mini-series, IC814, claiming that it has shown the truth. According to the Congress leader, the series has rightfully shown the truth that the BJP released the terrorists who were caught by the Congress party. While targeting the BJP, she also shared an old picture of the then IB Chief Ajit Doval which was taken at the time of the IC814 negotiation.
In her long post, Shrinate alleged, “There is a ruckus on the OTT show of IC814 because the truth is bitter…Congress caught terrorists and BJP released them – this is true. And no matter how difficult it is to digest the truth, but the truth is the truth”.
यह IC814 के OTT शो पर बवाल मचा हुआ है क्योंकि सच कड़वा है, लेकिन सच तो सच है. आगे पढ़िए👇
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 3, 2024
▪️काठमांडू से दिल्ली जाने वाली IC814 फ्लाइट को 24 दिसंबर, 1999 को हरकत-उल-मुजाहिद्दीन के 5 आतंकवादियों ने हाईजैक किया
▪️विमान पर सवार लोगों को छोड़ने के बदले हिंदुस्तान की सरकार ने 3… pic.twitter.com/uuoLJi8xjw
She further alleged, “The flight stopped for 45 minutes in Punjab – where the BJP’s coalition government was in power – but no action was taken there, after which it reached Kandahar.”
Additionally, her media bites alleging the same have been widely shared by Congress supporters as well as by party’s local units and seva dal.
IC814 के हाईजैक की सौ बात की एक बात यह है कि कांग्रेस ने दुर्दांत आतंकवादी पकड़े, और BJP ने उन्हें रिहा किया
— BundelKhand Congress Sevadal (@SevadalUPB) September 4, 2024
रिहा होने के बाद उन आतंकियों ने हज़ारों निर्दोष लोगों को आतंकी हमलों में मार डाला
BJP इस कड़वे सच का घूँट नहीं पी पा रही है – यही मामला है. pic.twitter.com/p5sF0Z5EG2
IC814 के हाईजैक पर @BJP4India में इतना हड़कंप क्यों मचा है?
— Bihar Congress Sevadal (@SevadalBR) September 4, 2024
सच तो ये है कि कांग्रेस ने घातक आतंकियों को पकड़ा और BJP ने उन्हें रिहा किया।
बाद में इन्हीं आतंकियों ने मुंबई, पठानकोट, पुलवामा और संसद पर हमले कर हजारों लोगों को मार डाला।
BJP इस कड़वे सच को सहन नहीं कर पा रही है। pic.twitter.com/bT2EQK80A8
Quoting the then RA&W Chief Dulat who admitted that there were some shortcomings after the flight was hijacked, Congress leader Pawan Khera wrote, “A courageous and honest officer came and told the truth. It is true that the country paid the price for the mysterious inaction of the then BJP government.”
एक साहसी और ईमानदार अफ़सर ने आ कर सच बताया।
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) September 4, 2024
यह सच है कि उस वक़्त की भाजपा सरकार की रहस्यमयी निष्क्रियता की क़ीमत देश ने चुकाई। https://t.co/hwMNrLUZZI
While the Congress leader has been targeting the BJP-led NDA government for its so-called soft stance against terrorism, and lauding the Netflix series, IC814, it has been in the eye of the storm for being a PR job for Pakistan’s ISI, absolving the notorious spy agency of its sins, humanising dreaded terrorists and portraying India’s security and political apparatus as meek.
Netflix’s web series “IC814: The Kandhar Hijack” has stirred controversy as it has been alleged that the makers of the series did not disclose the real names of the terrorists and used pseudo-Hindu names that the terrorists had used. It also brazenly tried to peddle that ISI was not involved at all in this hijacking by Pakistani-terrorists rather it was all Osama Bin Laden’s brainchild alone. Following the controversy, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting summoned Netflix India’s content head who promised not only to update the disclaimer but also to moderate content in the future.
While the Congress party is targeting the BJP over the release of three dreaded terrorists when guns were virtually lurking over the heads of 176 innocent Indian civilians in the aftermath of a flight hijacking, it has seemingly forgotten its inglorious past. Ironically, when it not only followed soft policy on Pakistan-sponsored terror industry, and let go dastardly terror attacks like 2008 Mumbai attack unpunished, it had also freed dreaded terrorists in peacetime as “goodwill gesture”. The Congress also didn’t adapt a strict stand on Jihadi groups like PFI in time, allowing them to spread tentacles throughout the country.
Ironically, in its efforts to corner the BJP government for releasing 3 terrorists to secure the lives of 176 Indians, the Congress party has conveniently overlooked that the UPA government released terrorists in 2010 as a “goodwill gesture” to mollycoddle Pakistan. Terrorists who were incidentally on the “wish list” of Jaish-e-Mohammad and were not released by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government even in the grave scare of hijack.
Here are glaring instances when the Congress party faced public ire for its meek policy against terrorism and going “soft on terror and terrorists” —-
- “Goodwill gesture”: In 2010, UPA freed 25 terrorists including JeM terrorist Shahid Latif who was on the ‘wish list’ of IC814 hijackers and was later responsible for the Pathankot attack
According to 2016 media reports, one of the UPA government’s goodwill gestures boomeranged and cost dearly for the country as the terrorist it freed in 2010 went on to inflict terror on India. As per the TOI report, on 28th May 2010, the UPA government freed 25 terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, and JeM as part of its special outreach to our hostile neighbor, Pakistan.
Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) terrorist Shahid Latif, who was languishing in an Indian jail for 11 years for acts of terrorism, was one of those terrorists. Interestingly, the IC814 hijackers had also sought his release. His name was also on the list of 35-odd terrorists whom the hijackers wanted to be released in exchange for passengers of the hijacked flight.
His release cost dearly as JeM terrorist Shahid Latif went on to become the chief handler of the fidayeen squad that attacked the Pathankot airbase in January 2016. He also acted as the main handler of JeM terrorists in India.
Incidentally, in October 2023, the Pathankot attack mastermind Shahid Latif was neutralised by unknown gunmen outside a mosque in Pakistan. While foreign media outlets have alleged that the Modi government has let loose its Intelligence agents to kill anti-India elements and terrorists on foreign soil, there is no official confirmation for this assertion. However, it had resulted in a reduction in terror attacks on India.
- Dropping serious cases against members of Jihadi outfits and not nipping PFI-like Jihadi organisation in the bud
In 2013, the Congress government dropped criminal cases against several members of the SDPI and Popular Front of India (PFI). It was later banned under UAPA for anti-India and terror activities by the NDA govrernment. They were accused of being involved in creating communal disturbances in the state. These cases were related to protests and communal flare-ups in Shivamogga (114 cases from 2015), Mysuru (40 cases from 2009), Hassan (21 cases from 2010), and Karwar (1 case in 2017).
According to R Ashoka, who was Revenue Minister during BJP’s government in the state, the Congress government withdrew 175 cases against 1,600 PFI and Karnataka Forum of Dignity (KFD) members in 2015, despite a dissent note by the law department and police. It is said that this ultimately helped the Jihadi outfit to spread its tentacles throughout the country from its erstwhile stronghold, Congress-ruled Karnataka.
- Terror attacks went unpunished and terrorists carried out recee in the guise of cricket fans
It has been widely reported how Sajid Mir who conspired to execute the dastardly Mumbai 26/11 attacks had carried out recee in India in the guise of a Pakistani cricket fan. Alarmingly, he clandestinely travelled across India for 15 days. According to Indian investigators, Mir was part of an operation: spying, terrorist scouting, or both involving a dozen Pakistani “cricket fans” who went missing after crossing the border. After turning to his Pakistani-American agent David Headley, they masterminded the Mumbai terrorist attack.
Again, coincidentally, it was reported in December 2023 that some unknown person had poisoned Sajid Mir in Pakistan jail after which he went on ventilator support. Several such incidents of anti-India terrorists dying under mysterious circumstances have occurred in the last few years under the Modi government.
Not only Congress regimes faced a spate of terror attacks, but also the government under MMS, was shockingly pusillanimous in retaliating against the 26/11 terror attack in which hundreds of civilians and India’s financial centre were held hostage by 10 Pakistani terrorists for over 4 days killing 166 and injuring over 300.
Former IAF chief BS Dhanoa had categorically pointed out that the Congress-led UPA government had rejected a proposal of the air force to strike Pakistani terrorist camps after 26/11.
- Vicious campaign against anti-terror laws and operations
Further, in a comprehensive article titled ‘Congress & its friends have weakened the battle against extremism & terror’ BJP stalwart late Arun Jaitley wrote in 2019 how stringent anti-terror laws like TADA and POTA were diluted or annulled as the battle against terrorism and insurgency got blurred because of vote bank consideration.
In the article, he categorically noted that Congress governments had launched vicious campaigns against TADA and POTA as it was not only going “soft on terror” but also was following “appeasement of terror”.
Similarly, several Congress leaders have created hindrances in the fight against terrorism by either floating the boogie of Hindu/saffron terror or painting anti-terror operations with communal colour, providing a moral shield to the Overground workers (OGWs), sleeper cells, and underground terrorists. Infamously, the Congress party leader and Former Union Law and Foreign Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid once stated that Sonia Gandhi was weeping in her office when the Batla House operation was carried out.
