Curtain falls on hijack drama

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 31: All hostages on an Indian Airlines plane walked to freedom today in an apparently peaceful end to their ordeal after India agreed to free three Kashmiri militants, reports Reuter.

The week-long drama that spanned five countries and cost one life ended when five gunmen disappeared into the southern Afghan city of Kandahar and more than 150 hostages got their liberty.

NEW DELHI, Dec 31: The first of two planes bringing back 155 hostages after their week-long hijacking ordeal ended in Afghanistan landed in New Delhi late today, Press Trust of India said, reports Reuter.

Indian Foreign Minister Jaswanti Singh later said the hijackers had been given 10 hours to leave Afghanistan.

"We have given the hijackers 10 hours to leave for wherever they want to go," Singh told reporters at Kandahar airport.

The masked hijackers, who stabbed a newly married man to death for removing his blindfold last weekend, climbed down steps under the cockpit and drove into this city in southern Afghanistan in a deal overseen personally by Singh.

He arrived from New Delhi in a special aircraft also thought to be carrying three Muslim militants whose release was enough to satisfy the hijackers, who are thought to be Kashmiri Muslim militants.

Soon after the hijackers left Kandahar airport, steps were pushed to the main door of the airbus A300, which was seized at gunpoint on a short flight from Nepal one week ago.

The passengers walked down the steps to waiting vehicles and were then driven to the aircraft which brought their Indian negotiators across South Asia to Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taleban movement, on Monday.

Taleban officials said the hostages looked weak, weary and exhausted after being cooped up inside the aircraft for the entire duration of their ordeal.

It is now believed there were 155 hostages and five hijackers. Earlier reports said there might have been 154 hostages and six hijackers.

The passengers walked into the welcoming arms of dozens of Indian officials and representatives of the Taleban movement as well as members of the United Nations and diplomats.

They were then taken to the Indian delegation aircraft and would be flown directly home, one Indian official said.