During an Indian community gathering in Geneva, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar disclosed that his father was aboard a hijacked flight in 1984. This revelation came as a response to a question about the new Netflix series, ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack,’ which dramatizes the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC814.
Jaishankar described how, as a young officer, he was involved in managing the hijacking crisis while simultaneously facing the anxiety of his family members, including his own father, who was on the flight. He shared that at the time of the 1984 incident, he had informed his mother he would not be able to come home due to the hijacking situation, only to later discover that his father was on that very flight.
The flight, which was hijacked from Pathankot on July 5, 1984, and taken to Dubai, was resolved after over 36 hours when the hijackers, who were pro-Khalistani, surrendered and released all 68 passengers and six crew members unharmed.
Jaishankar, who was an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer at the time and later became a minister, recounted his dual role in this crisis: handling the situation from a governmental perspective and simultaneously experiencing the stress as a family member. His father, K. Subrahmanyam, an IAS officer and renowned strategic commentator, was among the passengers.
Jaishankar noted that while the new series portrays the government in a negative light, his personal experience offered him a unique viewpoint from both the administrative and familial perspectives. He humorously remarked that cinematic portrayals often favor the heroics of individuals over the complexities of governmental responses, which he acknowledged is part of what makes such stories engaging for audiences.
His comments, delivered during the Q&A session, drew laughter from the audience as he emphasized the balance between public perception and the real-life challenges faced during such high-stress situations.
