“Discovered My Father Was On Flight”: S Jaishankar Remembers 1984 Hijack

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar shared on Friday that his father was aboard a hijacked flight in 1984, offering a rare perspective from both sides of such crises—family members and government officials. Speaking during a community event in Geneva about the new television series on the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, Jaishankar recounted his own experience.

As a young officer at the time, Jaishankar was involved in managing the hijack crisis while simultaneously being among the families pressing the government for action. He described how he initially called his mother to explain he couldn’t come home due to the hijacking situation, only to later learn that his father was on the flight.

The 1984 hijacking involved an Indian Airlines flight from Pathankot, which was diverted to Dubai. After over 36 hours, the 12 pro-Khalistani hijackers surrendered, and all 68 passengers and six crew members were released unharmed.

Jaishankar reflected on his dual role during the crisis: “It was interesting because on the one hand, I was part of the team working on the hijacking. On the other hand, I was part of the family members pressing the government for the hijacking.” He humorously noted, “So, often these are situations and movie guys don’t make the governments look good. The hero is supposed to look good. Then nobody would watch the movie and you got to accept that,” which drew laughter from the audience.