Hijackers yesterday boldly upped the ante for freeing 155 hostages enduring a fifth hellish night aboard an Indian Airlines plane, demanding $200 million and the release of 35 Kashmiri militants.
The five terrorists, who spelled out their demands to Indian negotiators via walkie-talkies, also insisted India hand over the body of a Kashmiri fighter killed five years ago.
Initially the hijackers demanded only that India free a jailed Pakistani Muslim cleric.
Indian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said New Delhi would not give in.
In the capital, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said only that “we will send an appropriate response through our negotiating team.”
As concern grew for the condition of victims trapped inside the Airbus-300 parked at Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan, Singh said the hijackers had turned down a plea to free children and mothers.
There was a “rancid” smell inside the aircraft, the BBC reported, quoting soldiers of the ruling Taliban party who guarded the plane.
The aircraft’s only ventilation for most of yesterday was an open door. Its engines had been shut down for 12 hours while repairs were made.
Passengers were still blindfolded five days after their nightmare began Friday in Nepal, where the plane was commandeered, the BBC said.
Relatives and supporters of the hostages have been pressuring the Indian government to bring an end to the crisis. At least one hostage has been stabbed to death.
Reaction in New York was mixed.
Pakistani news vendor Ali Abi, 32, said he’s “sorry” about the hijacking, but he’s relieved it’s bringing attention to the plight of those in Kashmir.
“It’s not a nice thing to say, but a lot of Muslims are getting killed in Kashmir and everyone has ignored it,” he said. “I feel sorry for the Indians on the plane, but the matter does need to be brought out.”
But Indian Renu Gupta, a 29-year-old software programmer from Queens, said India should be firm with the terrorists.
“We should not surrender to their demands, no matter what happens,” he said. “Civilians have to understand the security of the country comes before ourselves and our families.”