New Delhi: Senior BJP leader LK Advani's claim that he was not in the loop on Jaswant Singh accompanying terrorists to Kandahar in 1999 was on Friday hotly contested by former Cabinet colleague George Fernandes who said the decision was not unilateral but taken collectively by ministers.

"Yes, all ministers were present", he said in an interview to Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN programme Devil's Advocate on being asked whether Advani was present when the decision was taken that Singh, then External Affairs Minister, would accompany the terrorists.

Singh was on a special flight to Kandahar ferrying three terrorists who were to be exchanged for hostages of an Indian Airlines flight.

IC-814 with 189 passengers and crew members was hijacked on December 24, 1999, and was first flown to Amritsar and then to Kandahar in Afghanistan. The hostages were released after the terrorists were freed.

Fernandes' comments are in stark contrast to Advani's account of this episode as contained in his memoirs and his recent interviews.

The BJP leader has clearly said that he was not consulted about Singh accompanying the terrorists and only came to know the minister actually got on the plane. Advani has also stated that the Cabinet Committee on Security did not take the decision to send Singh.

Asked whether senior ministers decided that Singh should accompany the terrorists, Fernandes said "Yes, I am sure, I am certain that was (the case)".

Source : PTI