<br/>The Government has put all flights of Air India, operating in the country's neighbourhood on high security alert and directed the airlines to deploy sky marshals following intelligence inputs about Hijack attempts from Pakistan-based LET and other terrorist groups. According to intelligence inputs, terrorist groups having allegiance with Al-Qaeda, Lashker-e-Taiba and Jamat-ul-Dawa were planning to hijack an Air India plane especially operating in or from SAARC countries. The Civil Aviation Ministry has directed all the airlines especially Air India to take extra steps besides asking Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to deploy sky marshals on aircraft operating on such routes. The External Affairs Ministry has asked Indian missions, particularly in SAARC countries, to brief the staff of the Air India and other Indian carriers about the threat.<br/>