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The Rediff Special

'An SOP must be in place, formulated without a second's delay'

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Name: Jayant Manohar
Email: jmanohar@aol.com
Message: I would certainly echo the words of General Karim that we Indians are too soft and late for everything. No number of messages like this will help the government because none of them know if they will be on the chair the next moment. This is the ugly side of our democracy. Most of them are just busy keeping their chair intact. Where are Jayalalitha, Sonia and the others now? Are they offering help? Or they are waiting for the govt to ask them for help? Or has Sonia run away to Italy? An SOP must be in place, formulated without a second's delay. It's time we show some vigour. The Kashmir problem has been there for 52 years and we can't solve it.

Name: Harpal Singh
Email: dxb_harpal@yahoo.com
Message: The govt. should fly out two teams to Kandahar. One should be a diplomatic team to resolve the matter by negotiation. If at all this fails the second team, consisting of commandos, should take over.

Name: Arun Kumar N
Email: aknss@hotmail.com
Message: Hi, There are a few points I would like to make. Firstly, the Govt. should storm the plane and shoot the people involved in this heinous crime. Secondly, India is too very soft on Islamic terrorists and it is high time we dealt with them firmly and swiftly. I, for one, am of the strong belief that we should destroy militant bases in PoK and other such areas. It is time to deal with it decisively and firmly!

Name: Sudhakaran Nair
Email: sudhakaran@india.com
Message: 1) Seek help in storming the aircraft from friends in Israel. 2) Send the super Black Cat commandos to the site in aircraft which can escape radar identification and enact a daredevil act which commandos are trained for. 3) Introduce security screening at the input points in an aircraft from where passengers, luggage, foodstuff, utilities are allowed in. 4) The security screening at the entry points of aircraft must be the responsibility of crew so that chances of foul play are reduced if not eliminated. 5) Introduce security measures of it's own in all ports.

Name: Bindu
Email: bindunair@india.com
Message: Allow the Afghan government to give the hijackers asylum and ensure safety of passengers. Then go for the kill later and declare war on this movement.

Name: Sanjeev Bhojwani
Email: sanjeevbhojwani@hotmail.com
Message: First of all, the plane should not have been allowed to leave Amritsar. Anyway, now the govt has to act calmly and see to that no more lives r lost. They should send a team of commandos to Afghanistan and shoot the bloody militants. I know it is a difficult situation for the relatives who have there dear ones on board, but who knows that they will free all the hostages on the release of the militants. Just go & kill the hijackers.

Name: Amit Sirdeshpandey
Email: cs_amit@roltanet.com
Message: It's highly unfortunate that those who are fighting this so-called 'Jihad' or holy war have resorted to such a barbaric, inhuman and ruthless act. It is an act of cowardice than bravery. The Govt. probably has been put in a very difficult position and probably the only solution at this point of time is to accept their demands unless the negotiations diffuses the tension.

At this point of time, the lives and health of the passengers and crew members are of utmost important. Every single Indian, no doubt, is praying for the safe arrival of one and all on the ill-fated flight. May the Almighty give courage and strength to the members of the Katiyal family to bear this irreparable loss.

Name: Sundara Vardhan
Email: suvardhan@prodigy.net
Message: First thing, try and get the plane to land somewhere in India or in an India-friendly country.

We need to take help from Israel or, if we have the capability, then flush out the terrorists. Of course, this is easier said than done.

First, negotiations should be done. No politicising of the issue should occur. The media should not take sides and should at least blackout the news. Terrorists like the media to report and hence would like the news to be about them. Deny them this. Starve them of attention. All the while negotiations should be on to get as many passengers as possible release. Second, plan to storm the plane with commandos with the help of Israel or alone. Third, pray all this works.

Name: ANUSHKA
Email: anushka@india.com
Message: 1) Declare the pilot a national hero. 2) Accept the demand of the hijackers and later go on the offensive and eliminate the terrorist outfit. Later go out and bring Pakistan back into India.

Name: S A HASAN
Email: yaali@hotamail.com
Message: When the hijackers are forced out of Kandahar by the Taliban regime, the captain should be contacted by some Morse code and the plane made to land in India or some other friendly country. Then NSG commandos should be sent to do their job.

Name: xyz
Email: indian@hotmail.com
Message: I am wondering what these officials are up to? I feel the government has to hire talented Black Cat commandos on this mission and kill those terrorists.

Name: Madhu
Email: madhuven@hotmail.com
Message: My heart goes for all the passengers on board. I wish the government accede to the hijackers' demands and get the poor passengers out.

Name: Suresh (Madras)
Email: kalpsm64@hotmail.com
Message: We take excessive precautions for things like Y2K where human lives are not involved. But our Government did not give heed to the warnings given by US Intelligence regarding such terrorist attempts which could be made during this month.

The government couldn't do anything then. The hijacking happened. When the flight was in Amristar, the officials shouldn't have let it take off to another country. Now we are dependent on another unfriendly country like Afghanistan to storm the plane or negotiate with the hijackers.

Those hijackers should be drugged, even if it means all the passengers and crew sleeping for a while, since they are dependent on food from outside. Or the plane should be stormed by commandos which could result in loss of some lives, but it will be a deterrent for future hijackings.

Name: Yasaswi Mishra
Email: yasaswi_mish_mohap@rediffmail.com
Message: Dear sir(s)/madam(s), I think it is high time that this tense drama should end. India should not bow before such terrorists. The Taliban govt. should be asked to help us in capturing these criminals. Or a special task force of commandos should be sent to Afghanistan to help and work for the safety of our people. Their reflexes should be fast. I hope all goes well and the people return back to safety.

Name: Srinivas
Email: sree08@hotmail.com
Message: Killl these Islamic types hard, hard enough that no one dares to touch a Indian again from now on. Don't arrest terrorists, JUST KILL THEM.

Name: Somu Dhavala
Email: sekhar_d@mailcity.com
Message: I have seen all messages. Everybody talks about "The govt. should take NECESSARY ACTION, TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES". It seems we do also suffer from the constant "diarrhoea of speech and constipation of thought as our politicians".

It is natural for the relatives to think about security of their own and concern about it. But let us not have a short-term goal. If the govt. accedes to what they say, what can happen in future? Just guess. We do VINYASAS in Air Force day, Naval Day in air-shows. When it comes to real-time testing, we just fail.

The reason is we don't learn from the past. Every one of us, including me, is traditionalistic. We watch and wait till they win. So my point is, LET US BOTHER ABOUT THE FUTURE, not the immediate consequences. I cannot make this point much clearer. JAI HIND.

Name: Govind Ghoswami
Email: goshos@aol.com
Message: I think they should have fed the hijackers the vegetable cutlets that IA feeds its passengers. It would have surely killed them.

Name: Rajaman
Email: rajomoney@hotmail.com
Message: No government should bend down to such terrorist blackmails. Best way is attack & finish.

Name: ken menen
Email: kmenen@worldnet.att.net
Message: The govt. should not allow the hijackers to get away, they should send commandos to free the hostages even if some lives are lost. If they give into them, this will set a precedent and more acts will follow. Do what the Israelis have done in Entebbe.

Name: Pravin Chaudhari
Email: pkchaudhari@hotmail.com
Message: I feel the government should grant the hijackers' demand and save the innocent people. This should be done only after making sure that hijackers release hostages after their demand is fulfilled.

Name: Gary
Email: garyvani@vsnl.com
Message: The govt should deal firmly with Nepal, which, is in fact, aiding terrorist. The govt. should not yield to pressure from terrorists.

Name: N Nayak
Email: naren_nayak@hotmail.com
Message: Never ever give in to any demands. Remember what happened after V P Singh caved in when Mufti Sayeed's daughter was kidnapped.

There certainly is a price we have to pay, but if we give in to these disgusting Islamic vermin, instead of wiping em out, worse things are bound to follow. For that woman in Delhi airport who wants to immolate herself, please do it now and spare the people the time and attention they need to solve this problem quickly.

Name: Mahendra
Email: msapa@Hotmail.com
Message: They should send our commandos to resolve the situation. Under no circumstances should the Mufti Sayeed incident be repeated. Other best option is slaughter 20 terrorists in jails for every passenger killed. Even if my mother would have been aboard, my options would not change. Once again, forget about human rights, take action Vande Mataram.

Name: Ritesh
Email: ritesh@synopsys.com
Message: Get the damn plane back to India first. How can India deal with the Afghan government when it doesn't even recognize it? At all costs, the plane shouldn't be allowed to fly elsewhere.

Name:
Email:
Message: Dear All, First of all let me express the extreme grief and shock on the incidents that followed the hijacking of the IA Airbus. I believe the mistake lies in allowing the militants to get away from Amritsar. Once they are out of Indian territory and, worst of all, since they have reached their home ground, the worst place one can imagine for a Christmas celebration, a country with which India doesn't have any diplomatic contacts, the situation I believe has become very difficult.

What govt can do at this time is negotiate in whatever means possible. I heard they wanted to release some militants. Whatever we can tell about not releasing criminals, the life of 150+ INNOCENT LIVES is much bigger than that. They are, I am sure, suffering at sub-zero temperatures.

I think that after all diplomatic efforts fail and storming of aircraft by commandos also fails and risk on passengers and crew increase, the govt. should consider their demands and get our beloved brothers and sisters back.

What India has to do after this trauma is to beef up security. There should be commandos in all Indian planes. Also there should be people WITH PROPER training to deal with these situations. We FAILED in Amritsar, I am sorry to say.

We CANNOT AFFORD TO SAY WE ARE NOT EQUIPPED. Aren't we ashamed of such a situation as this? If anybody at the top levels have any regard for the life of the Indian citizens I am sure they will do it. Otherwise these incidents are bound to repeat. Let's unite and fight terrorism. Jai Hind.

Name: Sidharth
Email: crossroad100@hotmail.com
Message: I think the Indian govt. should do exactly the same as Russia is doing... Or they should get Bin Laden killed. If they cannot do this, they better rest in a temple or in their luxury houses... Then I think they don't care a daaammmmmmm care for the innocent public...

Name: Narayan
Email: narayan72@mail.rediff.com
Message: Govt should get the plane to India at all costs. That way we will all at least have full info and get the correct picture. If reqd the plane can be stormed and passengers released. Else do an Entebbe in Kandahar.

Name: V Anand Rao
Email: vanandrao@rediffmail.com
Message: the govt of india should take immediate steps to send a plane load of nsgs and storm the plane in kandhar.

Name: Venkatesh Balasubramanian
Email: Chanakyaa@hotmail.com
Message: Once more there is an attack on India and the Government is going soft or, rather, say, clueless. For all the posturing that BJP was doing when in opposition they seem to make India just as soft a target as it was years ago.

There was an God-given opportunity to nail the SOB's during the Kargil breach but our "good" politicians let the killers walk away, let alone make him pay in any tangible form for his deed. To make a new beginning, the government should act with b**** and brains. Now that both Pakistan and Taliban want to dissociate themselves from the hijacking, the government should extract permission from the Taliban to send Black Cats into Afghanistan to enter the plane.

Turn the tables and issue an ultimatum to the hijackers like, 1. Surrender and be tried in an Indian court of law, or 2. There would be breach into the plane and for every life lost in the action there would be two militant ideologues in custody executed besides making their death slow and messy. There should be NO negotiations, leave alone succumbing to the demands of terrorists as it only encourages them to execute more actions like this.

We should not forget that the lives of the service men fighting these militants are LIVES too. Theirs is no more expendable that the people on board. Besides there are going to be more innocent people killed if militants are on the prowl!

Name: kaushik roy
Email: kaushik_ray@hotmail.com
Message: i feel the govt should negotiate with the hijackers, have some sort of secret operation, collaborating with some other countries too, and storm the flight at the right moment. These hijackers have already killed one passenger and there's no guarantee they won't kill any more. So the govt should take that initiative and make it a very secret operation. After this operation is over, all the persons whose release r being sought should be publicly hanged.

Name: jalal
Email: jalal_anna@123india.com
Message: i feel india government send commandos to take rescue military action to save all passengers.

Name: pnkjr
Email: pnkjr@hotmail.com
Message: Following steps to be taken 1. Stop flights to Nepal permanently. 2. Domestic airport gates should be manned by armed forces instead of local security agencies, eg Goa that lets any local bigwig and white-skin go into check-in areas. 3.No one who has got out of arrivals should be allowed to re-enter once out of the gate. 4. Security at all Indian airports depends on how influential you are to get inside without proper formalities. Surprise checks by the highest authorities is the only way out. No one, except men working in these areas, must be allowed through, however influential he/she may be. 5. All middle-east airports should have a special squad of Indian forces who will check passengers after the local police have done so (as done by Israel) 6. Check-in for local flights should not be done by a third person, as is the practice in Goa. 7. PL stop issuing entry tickets to restricted areas. 8. Cargo carried by local carriers in the domestic airlines should be checked occasionally, especially Jet Airways.

Name: Narayanan.P R
Email: prn9974@yahoo.com
Message: Even though India doesn't recognise Taliban rule, the authorities should not say anything that will hamper the situation. Instead, a team of Indian security experts and commandos should be sent to Kandahar to assist the Taliban authorities in the rescue of the innocent passengers on board.

Further loss of human lives should be prevented and, at the same time, we should not bow to their pressure, which might encourage terrorism. They should be brought to India and should be tried in the court of justice fast. We should follow precautionary measures like the Israelis, having security personnel in all flights in future. But before confirming the identities of the terrorists if the officials voice their suspicion, it will add fuel to the hostile relationship we have with the countries involved. That may result in a very dangerous situation.

Name: Arvind
Email: pat_a33@hotmail.com
Message: The fight against terrorism should not be diluted by such cowardly acts. The Government has issued a right statement by asking Taliban to capture the hijackers. It is obvious that the hijackers are Taliban-supported. The Government should pressurise Taliban to either force the plane out of Afghanistan or to ask them to negotiate a peaceful settlement and surrender the hijackers to India. My salute to the martyr and the injured passengers.

Name: Ipatel
Email: iffu72@cs.com
Message: Now it is proved that the central government does not have the ability to tackle issues concerning national security. First Kargil and now this. What the heck were they doing when the flight landed in Amritsar?

Name: pradeep
Email: prabs_r@yahoo.com
Message: It's too late. You can't do an Entebbe in Afghanistan, can you? Just wait and wear the kidnappers out. Another two days and they'll break. Establish contact with the Taliban and, later, mount an ambush.

Name: Ashish Sawhney
Email: sawhney.3@osu.edu
Message: They should concede to the demand of hijackers and release the prisoners unconditionally as it is the lapse of the Indian Airlines to provide service from a airport lacking security. Any service to such airports should be ceased hence forthwith and continuous vigilance must be maintained by IA to cross-check security at the airports where they operate.

Name: Aniruddh Singh Dikhit
Email: asn@hotmail.com
Message: Do not meet any of the hi jackers demand however ensure safe passage of all passengers on board. Accepting their demands will only mean more such events in future.

Name: Arun Prasad
Email: arun_pra@hotmail.com
Message: Indian government should take Taliban into confidence and send a NSG team (could be in the guise of a negotiating team) to Afghanistan. And try to end the drama there forcefully. I hope this is an eye opener for the Indian govt., that they should bear a proactive stance wrt Kashmir in form of hot-pursuits/search and eliminate etc. within or outside the borders.

Name: Umesh Singh
Email: uvsingh@hotmail.com
Message: We lost a good chance to tackle them in Amritsar itself due to lack of co-ordination on part of Indian Govt. Pray for the safety and early return of all passenger's . But govt should not accept the hijackers' demands and, instead, become more aggressive in their policy related to terrorism.

Name: Rakesh Eligapalli
Email: erakesh@hotmail.com
Message: Respected Government authorities. I think we should solve the crisis cool-mindedly, but with great conscience and alertness. I know it's quite easy for me to say it from here, but it could be more futile catching on with only negotiations. We must additionally deploy a secret mission with care, to get the hostages to the shores of safety.

The militants have succeeded till now by serious planning. So should we. On one side negotiations should carry on and on the other side we should carry the task. Third party negotiations are futile. Because it highly less probable, for the outsider to be well aware of the local situations.

I express my agony for all those who have been killed. Let us all hope that we can see everyone back in safety. I wish you all a very best of luck. REMEMBER, when you make a person believe, that he has your valuable possession, he starts threatening more. This is a big challenge. And challenge is to be FACED, not FELT...

Name: Chethan M R
Email: chethanmeda@rediffmail.com
Message: sir, as a responsible citizen of this holy nation i would rather suggest the government to yield first to their talks and see to it that our brothers and sisters are safe on our lands. then, with the help of task forces in afghanisthan, try and eliminate those bastards once and for all so that they won't do such a mistake once more in their whole life time. india has heeded enough to diplomatic betterment and the time has now come to show the real strength and capabilities of our nation in the world.

i pray for the welfare of those of my fellow brothers and sisters who are the mercy of the almighty.

Name: Acharya Charudutt
Email: acharyacharudutt@hotmail.com
Message: Release their worms in our jails for the time being and secure the safe release of all our folks and the aircraft. THEN go on a mass annihilation spree on all the Islamic outfits in India. No talks. Just shoot to kill.

Name: Pooja
Email: shania108@hotmail.com
Message: i personally feel that the government should meet the demands of the militants because it would be improper to put the lives of so many ppl at stake. Rupin has already been slayed by them and i don't want others to meet the same fate.

Name: G D Kukreja
Email: desire@rediffmail.com
Message: The Indian airforce should take action, along with US and allies, straight to Kabul without wasting time.

Name: Maneesh Khare
Email: maneeshkhare@hotmail.com
Message: I am stunned at what lengths some people are ready to go to prove themselves. These are not 'believers' but fanatics who have distorted the picture of Islam in the eyes of the world.

Name: Aravinda Sheshanna
Email: aravindas@netzero.net
Message: It is a shame that we are discussing what should be done. I can say that the government is impotent. They don't have courage. They should have stormed the aircraft when it was in Amritsar.

Name: Ashutosh Kumar
Email: ashk89@hotmail.com
Message: This is a bit away from the actual discussion. I think, but the Rediff editor is completely biased against a lot of people's viewpoint. They have only published certain viewer's comments in this section. I wrote my views around four hours back. That didn't get published. I'm sorry to say that media can't be run this way.

Name: Vinutha Suresh
Email:
Message: 1.Save the passengers! 2.Save the passengers! 3.Save the passengers!

Name: Thomas John
Email: zippyman36@hotmail.com
Message: The options available to the Indian government, are limited. Definitely, there are no soft options available! At this point of time the general opinion on how to handle the situation could broadly be divided into two groups.

One alternative for the government is to concede to the demands of these hijackers and secure the release of all the hostages held by them (provided the hijackers keep their part of the bargain, which is again debatable!). Such a step is quite a gamble, but, if it pays off, the government can gloat over their decision to ensure the safety of the passengers.

The second alternative is to secure permission from the Taliban government in Afghanistan and send over commando forces to attempt a rescue operation. This would be more of a gamble if the hijackers are armed with ammunition capable of blowing-up the aircraft and carry out their threat. But will the government take responsibility for such a debacle if the mission goes awry? So in reality the government is in a no-win situation. Given the above options the first one seems more prudent to apply in this present situation, no matter what the rules and policies of the government are! If the rules could have been bent to secure the release of a minister's daughter in the past, we now have more than 150 lives still at stake here.

We all hope that no matter whatever action is taken by the government to end the present impasse, there would not be any further bloodshed and the safety and security of the passengers on board are not compromised. I wish to assure all the relatives and friends of the passengers held hostages that the prayers and best wishes of the whole country are with them in their traumatic hour of ordeal.

Name: Jaikrishan Maharaj
Email: maharaj_j@hotmail.com
Message: I think the answer to the government's problem lies in the often-neglected god symbol of our nation. We should turn to the cow. The cow is gentle, beneficial, happy and religious. Hinduism is also like the cow. We are a gentle people. We cannot hate other people even if other people hate us. So we should impress the terrorists of this fact.

We can show them pictures of the cow that gives milk even to the butcher who kills it for her meat. And impress them that Sanathana Dharma is Ahimsa Dharma where no door is locked in the heart of the Dharmic person. War will only get us more war and more passengers being hijacked. We need to show friendship even to the opponents and follow the example set by the cow.

Name: Neville
Email: narestani@hotmail.com
Message: Kill the a****. No negotiation with the bastards. Kill one militant for each person on board. Hey, anyway we are paying to much to keep them alive in jail. First let all the passengers then we will talk.

Name: Umesh Dhingra
Email: sarispat@md4.vsnl.net.in
Message: The govt should not bend against the demand of terrorists even at the cost of life of all the passengers. However, the govt should act tactfully & diplomatically, using international pressure to get as many passengers released as possible.

Name: Ajay
Email: ajayt@rediff.com
Message: I think the govt. should act firmly in dealing with terrorist demands. We must be prepared to loose some lives in this process... Let us all give complete support to the Govt. and not emotions speak... Though it's difficult.

Name: Dr. Vikas Malhotra
Email: hotdoc@mantraonline.com
Message: i dont know what the government should do but i am worried why the passengers who have been freed and landed in delhi are not being allowed to meet the relatives of the others... Is the government trying to hide something from the rest of us?

Name: Neo
Email: neo@royal.net
Message: The Indian government should take a practical approach towards the hijacking case by bringing out top terrorist leaders in the open, killing them ruthlessly one by one and send the video footage to the hijackers for consideration.

This might turn out bad for the passengers on board but it would certainly give the message to all those fundamentalist religious groups that a cold-hearted criminal act can never be justified and cashed in on to get a free pass for their leaders.

Name: Deshpremi
Email: deshp@myhome.com
Message: I think the Indian Government should not release any militants. At the same time, it should hire experienced negotiators to buy time for a Entebbe style Rescue effort. It is the primary duty of any Govt. to protect the lives of its citizens. Also India should launch pre-emptive strikes against Bin Laden.

Name: Dhirendra Singh
Email: dhirendra1@hotmail.com
Message: The Government must, somehow or other, try to get the plane, with everybody on board, out of that hell-hole called Afghanistan and get it to land anywhere in the world. The rest can be handled by special forces commandos. Never, and I repeat never, should any demand of the hijackers be met in any way. They deserve scorn and punishment and that's it. They have killed Indian nationals and they must be punished. We must not forgive and we certainly must not forget.

Name: Banibrata Dasgupta
Email: banibrata@usa.net
Message: I appreciate Mr A B Vajpayee's gesture for not compromising with any heinous act of terrorist. They first release all the hostages in good health and then negotiate with the Government. It is not a game to play with innocent people.

Name: Dilip
Email: cpatel10@hotmail.com
Message: Don't ever let Kashmir to go.

Name: VASANTH
Email: vaswills@rediffmail.com
Message: THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO EXACTLY WHAT THE ISRAELIS DID IN ENTEBBE. OUR GOVERNMENT DOESNT HAVE THE GUT TO ACT FAST. THE PLANE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO LEAVE AMRITSAR.

Name: Kuldeep Dhanker
Email: drkool@hotmail.com
Message: i say send in the special ops .. i am sure the afghans will be glad to get these terrorists off their backs.. and there is really no guilt factor or human rights ... after all, they have already killed one of us in COLD BLOOD. These ba***** deserve to DIE and no two ways about it.

Name: Somu
Email: sekhar_d@mailcity.com
Message: We shouldn't yield to the demands. Instead, bash the BASTARDS. All Muslims think that they can conquer the world. It is false. The history says so.. Hitler, Napoleon, Mussolini. Caesar etc... Let them bring their own downfall.. Muslims in India are have more freedom than they enjoy in other countries, seize the Kashmir valley with all forces and the menace once for all.

Name: Prithvi
Email: prithvi01_2000@yahoo.com
Message: We lost our only chance in Amritsar. The best solution is to call MOSSAD or any of the international anti-terrorist squad and kill the militants then and there. The Indian Govt lacks the courage to deal with such situation.

Name: Hindustani
Email: imbad_2000@yahoo.com
Message: We should rescue the hostages without leaving the terroriest and join hands with forces of Russia & USA. There is no shame in asking a heling hand in eliminating these bastards. We will surely nail these SOBs.

Name: Concerned Human Being
Email:
Message: Has the US govt been consulted? What is the US and British Govt doing to help. If the aircraft involved was from Israel, we would have had US elite forces on a mission.

Name: Hindustani
Email: imbad_2000@yahoo.com
Message: We should rescue the hostages without leaving the terroriest and join hands with forces of Russia & the US for recovering the hostages. US should come forward with there helping hand. There is no shame in asking a helping hand in eliminating these bastards. We will surely nail these SOB.

Name: Viswanath
Email: SViswanathan@email.msn.com
Message: With the Indian Government and the security officials slipping off a precious opportunity in Amritsar, strong and immediate actions should be taken to formulate a standard action plan to deal with such situations. The Indian Government should change its attitude with these barbaric inhuman acts by being more aggressive.

Name: Hemanth Sampath
Email: india@nettaxi.com
Message: Enough is enough. Its high time we do a 'Punjab" on Kashmir. Let's be brutal on the terrorists, enough of human rights for the terrorists. AMNESTY - What about human rights for the people on IC 814. A little immature of me to say this, but India must kill 15 terrorists in Kashmir jails for every Indian killed on IC 814. Guys, do u agree?

Name: ndsu
Email: kjfkkf@uuu.com
Message: India should have used commando to execute the terrorists. Now it should go to Afghanistan and kill the terrorists.

Name: Harsha
Email: harsha61@hotmail.com
Message: What is the US govt doing to assist in this situation. If US govt wants India to talk about CTBT and not pursue minimum deterrence nuclear policy, the US govt should show Osama Bin Laden and Musharraf that it can be a world leader in eliminating terrorism. The US and Israel's Mossad agency should storm the airport in Afghanistan, and blow up the terrorists with minimum casualties. The year 2000 cannot start with such dastardly acts of crooks like Osama Bin Laden.

Name: Santhosh Krishna
Email: sankri_cs@hotmail.com
Message: The government should try to release the passengers first. Try hard. If it doesn't work, concede to the demands of the militants. The government should take revenge at the right time. The Govt should be strict and should be committed to take the revenge of the innocent people who were stabbed or injured going to the extent of killing these militants in public or wherever they get a chance.

Our courts don't have an ability to make a judgement in these regards. Why the hell did they still keep that secretary (Azhar) in that expensive Tihar jail. Are we paying taxes for spending on these militants. Shoot them off to send a message to the militants that they shouldn't expect the govt to safeguard them in jail for their entire life...

Name: Vinaya Kumar Singh and Ajay
Email: vinay_k_singh@hotmail.com, ajjudesh@hotmail.com
Message: Ham Honge Kamyab! OM Send our highly trained commandos to Kandhar and try to take hold of situation. This can be done by taking the government of Afghanistan into confidence.

Make the terrorists (hijackers) in plane involved in negotiations or diverting them to their interest and in mean time plan to storm the plane. I hope our many of our Indian brothers and sisters onboard are ready to sacrifice their life for the pride of our great country BHARAT which we regard as MATA.

We have to sacrifice for the sake of our Maa and country. I know life is very precious for us but our Maa is more precious than our life. I hope our people in craft will do everything possible if this action plan is implemented.

They know that they are in do or die position. There is no guarantee that even after fulfilling the demands of terrorist, their passage may be safe. Many of them may be thinking of sacrificing their life as our great Indian soldiers for the sake of our other brothers and sisters and beloved BHARAT MAA. Only thing is that our Govt. should take a bold step. I personally request Sri Vajpayee, the PM of India, that he not let us down against a handful of terrorists. I believe you will surely be KAAMYAB. I pray to GOD to give you strength to tackle the situation successfully. I also pray god for safe passage of our beloved Indians.

Name: ANAND
Email: ANAND@HOTMAIL.COM
Message: THIS WAS SOMETHIN THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. THE SPG PERSONNEL COULD HAVE BARGED THE PLANE AND RELEASED THE PASSENGERS AT AMRITSAR ITSELF.

I GUESS ITS GROSS NEGLIGIENCE ON THE PART OF THE GOVT WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE CRISIS MGMT GROUP SERVE...? JUST SENDING SHARAD YADAV TO DUBAI TO ESCORT THE PASSENGERS BACK HOME WOULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM..... THE SYMPATHIES OF THE ENTIRE NATION R WITH THE FAMILIES OF THE PASSENGERS AND OF THE DECEASED MR KATYAL...

Name: Suraj
Email: sapphire_911@hotmail.com
Message: Your coverage of this inhuman incident is excellent. I think the reports are updated at an amazing speed and are at the top of international media coverage. The government should NOT accede to the demands but at the same time should be consider the lives of those aboard the plane.

International help should be sought if required.

Name: Nagaraj
Email: raj_nunna@hotmail.com
Message: I can't believe they let that plane take off from Amritsar. I think at least now the govt should act firmly. Don't negotiate with terrorists. Just a few months back, 600 of our best men gave their lives in Kargil. Let's not throw away those hard fought gains by negotiating now.

Name: Well Wisher
Email: decent@hotmail.com
Message: My wish is that the Government should not tolerate any kind of threat from the Muslim fundamentalists. We should not sacrifice any more soldiers in Kashmir and members of the innocent public to those bastards.

Name: Anonymus
Email: a@b.c
Message: The government should not put such terrorists in jail. They should be killed so that no other supporters will carry out such incidents and ask to release them. If Maulana Masood Azhar is killed, no one can be carried out such inhuman acts for his release.

Name: Mahesh
Email: naidumahesh@usa.net
Message: God give strength to Rachana. Try your hardest in the interest of country and the people aboard the plane. But once this episode gets over (by God's grace without any injury to the innocent) publicly torture and kill SOBs like Masood Azhar so that episodes like this don't reoccur. This should be given total media coverage so that the bastards can see what's tit for tat.

Name: vinita nayar
Email: vininayar10@hotmail.com
Message: the indian govt is capable of do anything. I feel it should somehow abort & capture the hijackers, keeping the safety of passengers in mind.

Name: Ratan Karkera
Email: r_karkera@hotmail.com
Message: The demands should be met, after which the released terrorist should be tracked by using some high-tech tracking devices placed inside their body and later shot (definitely not arrested again).

Name: Rajeev Sangra
Email: sangra@hotmail.com
Message: Since it's confirmed that the hijackers have a limited and old weaponry, a highly military combat team be sent so as to pound upon these barbarians swiftly and rescue the passengers. This is a risk that can be taken considering the old RUBIA case which made matters complicated... Conceding to their demand will only boost their sagging morale.... Good Luck and Jai Hind.

Name: Harisharan
Email: harisharan@go.com
Message: kill the hijackers or trash the plane and don't leave the terrorists because this has happened often and should not be repeated. the govt should take a bold decision: don't take any humble decision.

Name: Nishith Bhushan
Email: nishithb@yahoo.com
Message: Resolve situation asap with emphasis on diplomacy. This opportunity should be used to improve relations with Pakistan. Saving the lives of the passengers abroad the airplane should be the first priority. My brother-in-law, A Sharma is on the plane. Diplomatic channels should be opened and kept open. This should not be the time to take a hardline stance.

Name: ashok
Email: akp@hotmail.com
Message: Hi, Any news whether any sort of negotiations has been started with those thugs?

Name: Asis Biswas
Email: asisbiswas@hotmail.com
Message: There is no question of releasing the terrorists who are imprisoned. Because the hijackers are already killed our people. Negotiate with them for releasing the passengers. No question of accepting their demand. We should think for the country first that all. We have lost many people in Kargil already and if we loose more, we have to accept that.

Name: Sanjay Pathak
Email: sanjay8886@hotmail.com
Message: Government should not give in to demands of terrorists as in Rubaiya case. This will encourage them to further misadventure. In fact, the aircraft should be stormed by the NSG and the militants killed in front of all to give a clear signal for other terrorists.

Name: ha
Email: ha@hamail.com
Message: Have better security at airports.

Name: Varun
Email: varun_21@hotmail.com
Message: well we are indians and we've learnt to live in any kinda situations not bothered about the family if it's a matter of our country. so the government should not release the militants even if they demand more. after a long, long these cruel militants have come in our custody. we are not bothered abt the 161 people as we r more bothered abt the 99 crore (indian population) ppl and maybe more.
Thanx

Name: Manoj
Email: onemanoj@hotmail.com
Message: the govt should release that bastard and get our people back. We can always go after the scum later, and anyway the hijacking was more a result of the wimpiness of our policy than any great feat by the terrorists.

Basically, we have not shown ourselves to be strong enough to deter hijackings and serial bombings. Get our people back and start over and avenge the bombings in Bombay and Delhi.

Name: George
Email: galex68@hotmail.com
Message: In the best interest of the nation, the Government of India should not accede to the demands of the terrorists. I know this is a very tough decision to make. Then Government should take very effective measures to prevent this kind of mishap to happen in future.

Name: Pranav E Bhosekar
Email: pebhosekar@yahoo.com
Message: I think the following should be observed by ALL of us: 1. Do not try to pressurise the government by speculating how this could have been "finished off" a la Entebbe. 2. Certain newspapers have shown the foolishness of publishing reports that we have already "lost" the advantage. 3. Let the experts and the government decide what is best under the circumstances. My personal opinion is that the hijackers should be killed. We should NEVER bow to their demands. Otherwise, there will be more hijackings and it would be a victory for all anti-India elements.

Name: Ravi Venugopal
Email: ravi.venugopal@mailcity.com
Message: The Government, if they are at least 1 per cent responsible, they should release that damned terrorist. The probably try and KILL the Air Pirates once the hostages are released. No inquiry and no passing thru India's Judicial 'never ending' process. Abide by their demands, and once the passengers are free, kill the whole lot. There should be no terrorism. These pirates who kill people should be dealt with an iron hand. It is high time India takes a stand against terrorists. Today it is this flight, what's the guarantee about tomorrow? Why can people live peacefully in Earth? Is this all the millennium can offer?

Name: Narayanan Ramachandran
Email: n_ramachandran@yahoo.com
Message: The terrorists have apparently found a safe haven to hold India to ransom. Persuade the Afghan authorities to get the plane out of Afghanistan and into Indian territory, allowing the Indian government more freedom of action in dealing with the terrorists.

If not, at least try to divert the plane to a country that is more friendly to India (probably back to Nepal or Bhutan). If that fails, exert international pressure through the US on Islamic nations having influence over these terrorists to release the hostages in exchange for a safe exit for those hijackers.

Name: Sabry Ali
Email: swali@hotmail.com
Message: Negotiate with the hijackers.

Name: prasad
Email: sdsd@hotmail.com
Message: At present our government's approach is extremely soft. They did first mistake by allowing the plane to go from Amritsar & now they r doing second mistake by trusting the "Taliban".

The Government should not trust the "taliban" & should send our commandos with the UN officials to rescue the passengers.

IT IS TOTAL GOVERMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO BRING ALL PASSENGERS SAFELY SINCE THEY MISSED THEIR CHANCE AT AMRITSAR.

Name: K R Ravi
Email: createravi@rediffmail.com
Message: do an entebbe type commando operation. however we will need the permission of the Taliban which will not be available. here should be no compromise with the hijackers whatever be the cost.

Name: Subbu
Email: ktsubbu@hotmail.com
Message: I think the government should first ensure the safety of all the remaining passengers on board. They should also see to it that the Hijackers do not get away with such a deadly crime. It sure is a difficult task and my heart goes to the family members of the Victim Mr. R. Katyal Subbu - Philadelphia

Name: Alok
Email: a_lok@hotmail.com
Message: India Govt. should have taken action in Amritsar. Now I think Indan Govt should send top notch commandos to Kandahar and carefully execute a well planned operation with the help of Afghanistan Govt. Compromising with the terrorists will only encourage such type of activities in future. But, also, we have to think of those in the plane and their near and dears.

Name: Satish Thatte
Email: thatte@lgerca.com
Message: All people of Indian origin (Indian citizens as well as NRIs) should give a united support to the Indian Govt. while the crisis goes on. Once the crisis is over, the Govt of India should thoroughly review its security procedures in such matters, and take necessary preventive and corrective actions. Then the Indians should rally behind to repeal the stupid Article 370, fully integrate J&K within India, allow all Indians to settle in J&K with weapons and land ownership. It is only the stupid and naive policies of past Indian govts. that created such a mess in Kashmir. It is high time we solve the problem once and for all. For each drop of Indian blood, 10 drops of the blood of all responsible will be shed. That is the only message these terrorists and the parties behind them understand.

Name: Srikanth
Email: srikanth@asiamail.com
Message: So far, the hijackers have proved to be smarter than the Indian government. I doubt if the Taliban govt has a strike force capable of storming the aircraft, even if they wanted to. The only option is to mediate through UN and get a UN strike force to storm the plane.

Name: Balki
Email:
Message: The government should send commandos immediately and rescue the passengers and crew. All the hijackers should be killed.

Name: Raj Kiran Kumar
Email: rajkirankumar@rediffmail.com
Message: The government should not give in to the demands of the hijackers. The government should take audacious action to free the hostages at any cost.

Name: Venkat Iyer
Email: venkatiyer@msn.com
Message: I think we should not negotiate with terrorists. Period.

Name: Sunil Raj
Email: rajsunil@yahoo.com
Message: The best option is for the commandos to storm and rescue the hostages, crew and the plane. These people cannot understand talks (as they are hardened criminals). So no negotiations will bear fruit, according to me. We pray to the almighty for the sudden end to this ordeal.

Name: l_prakash
Email: l_prakash@hotmail.com
Message: The Govt should immediately get into a dialogue with the hijackers and accede to their demands and ensure safety of the passengers immediately in the interests of humanity.

Name: S T Aran
Email: ARTI@HOTMAIL.COM
Message: THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NEGOTIATE WITH THE HIJACKERS FOR THE RELEASE OF THE PASSENGERS ON BOARD AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, MISLEAD THE HIJACKERS BY STORMING OR EXPLODING THE TAIL OF THE PLANE. IN THIS SITUATION, THERE WILL BE SOME COMPLICATION BETWEEN THE HIJACKERS.

SO AT THE MOMENT SEND SOME COMMANDOS FROM THE BACK OF THE PLANE TO SAVE THE PASSENGER. EARLIER A EMERGENCY RESCUE TEAM MUST BE PREPARED ON THE GROUND. FOR MORE INFORMATION TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM HOPEFULLY SEE SOME MOVIES SUCH AS AIR FORCE 1 ETC. THANK YOU.

Name: Dr.NATARAJAN
Email: dr_raj@vsnl.com
Message: As things have gone out of our hands, and in a hostile soil the drama unfolds now. we have no go other than even tie up with devil to release the hostages. Another bloodbath is unbearable. Any heroic deed at this time will result in more tragedy.

Name: Mukundan
Email: mukundan1@timesofindia.com
Message: The Indian Government should not give into Terrorism. If it gives in, further innocent lives will be lost in the future. More hijacks, bombs etc. They should see if they can storm the plane. They should not release any terrorist. The Government should rule and make decisions for the benefit of the majority and the national interest and not ger emotionally involved to benefit just a few now.

Otherwise we might as well give up the whole country to fanatics like Taliban and Osama just now! The government screwed up the first time when the plane landed in India. First, sack all the crisis managers -- and try them for incompetence. These foolish government officials are at the helm of things. I do not think even god can save us from this crap of Indian government officials -- it's the usual incompetence.

Read what other readers said:

'Get into Afghanistan and kill the hijackers'

'The Govt should directly talk with the hijackers and release the passengers without succumbing to their demands'

'Distract the hijackers, storm the plane, shoot the criminals and rescue the hostages'

'An SOP must be in place, formulated without a second's delay'

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