I am Mr. Maheshwari, one of the passengers on Airbus IC-314, which was hijacked shortly after taking off from Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu on Christmas Eve, 1999. Around 4 p.m., just a few minutes after take-off, a man wearing a mask appeared in the aisle, shouting that the plane had been hijacked. He instructed everyone to bend forward, put their heads between their knees and remain quiet. At first, I couldn’t believe it, but soon fear set in. My wife was sitting next to me and I tried to calm her down. My son was seated a row ahead of us. Little did we know, this ordeal would last for eight long, stressful days.

Twice, the plane made stops once for about an hour and later for almost five to six hours. Eventually, we were flown to Kandahar in Afghanistan. If we needed anything, we had to raise our hands and a hijacker would come to help. We were blindfolded before being taken to the toilet. The worst part was the way we were seated it was extremely uncomfortable.

Around the third day, we were allowed to sit up and talk quietly with the passengers beside us, though standing was still not permitted. Some passengers tried speaking to the hijackers. At first, the hijackers told them to stay quiet, but gradually, they responded and by the end, some even started interacting in a friendly way.

I later learned that one passenger had been killed and about 25–26 others were released in the UAE. My family and I had to endure the ordeal for eight continuous days. On the plane, it didn’t matter why the hijacking had happened or who had been released. What mattered most was reaching India safely. The pilot frequently reassured us over the public address system that he was negotiating with the hijackers, asking us not to panic.

We were finally released on the eve of the last day of the millennium. We were taken to a Red Cross Camp for medical aid. Mr. Jaswant Singh, then India’s External Affairs Minister, who had come to Kandahar to secure our release, spoke to us briefly. After that, we were flown back to India.

As we landed at Delhi, there was chaos and excitement. Relatives and friends had gathered to welcome us. We were taken home by car. Even now, I cannot fully forget the terrifying experience. It will take time to shake off the memories of those eight nights that felt like a nightmare.