The deployment of trained commandos on board passenger aircraft is one of a number of security proposals being considered at a meeting of the Indian civil aviation minister and his senior officials today. The review of in-flight security arrangements has been prompted by the recent hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft with nearly 160 passengers aboard. Civil aviation minister, Mr Sharad Yadav, has said security measures will be upgraded following the hijack, in which one passenger was killed.
Nepal, the country of origin of the hijacked flight, has also been urged to improve its airport security. The Prime Minister of India, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, said in his first comments on the weeklong hijacking that lax security arrangements in Nepal had al lowed the hijackers on board the Delhi-bound Airbus.
Pakistan, which has been accused by India of involvement in the hijack, continues to deny that it was behind the commandeering of the flight by five armed men. The Pakistani Foreign Minister, Mr Abdul Sattar, has rejected a statement by Mr Vajpayee blaming Pakistan for the hijack. Such charges, Mr Sattar said, were an attempt to divert domestic criticism of the Indian government which released three jailed Kashmiri militants into the hands of the hijackers.
While the passengers of the hijacked jet have been able to give some details about their captors, identification of the hijackers has been impossible. The highly trained men wore masks at all times and were almost certainly using fictitious names.