Jaswant Singh Jaswant Singh

For former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 from Kathmandu, and the events that ensued thereafter in 1999, is still a painful memory. Fourteen years later, even mentioning the event makes him wince. "It's a painful chapter of my life, something that I don't want to revisit."Singh, who was tasked by the NDA government to travel to Kandahar in Afghanistan and negotiate the release of 160 passengers on board the ill-fated IC 814, has had to face the embarrassment of being accused of escorting terrorists and setting them free in exchange for passengers of IC 814. "It was not my decision alone. The entire cabinet decided. Advaniji and Arun Shourie were initially opposed to it, even I was reluctant but (then) Prime Minister Vajpayee felt that every effort must be made to save the lives of the passengers hence we all fell in line," he says.Jaswant Singh is still to come to terms with the failure to prevent the aircraft from leaving Indian airspace. "I am still astounded as to how that could have happened. The failure to get the NSG from Manesar to Amritsar in time, the failure to organise the logistics is one bureaucratic muddle that still amazes me," says Singh.The former External Affairs Minister's latest book, India at Risk, deals with the mistakes, misconceptions and misadventures of the country's security policy. Though critical of of the manner that the country has dealt with China right from the beginning, Jaswant Singh differs from the view held by a section of his partymen, especially Narendra Modi that things would have been different had Sardar Patel been in charge. "He was after all a part of the cabinet and despite his personal view was a party to whatever decisions were taken," says Singh.The suave, soft-spoken Singh has often held a view on issues that is at odds with that of some of the hardliners in his party. "The best security against forces inimical to India is for us to remain united. A divided India can only benefit its adversaries." Having fallen foul of the party once, Jaswant Singh is careful not to ruffle any feathers. "I am nobody to advise anybody. I am a stray passenger in this train of politics, party colleagues act as they see fit," says the former minister.