Srinagar, October 1
National Conference (NC) chief patron Farooq Abdullah has said that he will meet President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to seek mercy for Mohammad Afzal Guru, if Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad leads the regional voice.
A Delhi court has order to hang Afzal on October 20 in the Tihar Jail for masterminding the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack.
“It is time for all of us to get together to save Guru from being hanged,” the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of an awards distribution function at the Sheri Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.
He said pleading for presidential clemency for Guru did not mean supporting militants. “I strongly believe that hanging Guru will provide no solution. In fact, it will disturb the ongoing peace process,” Dr Abdullah added.
The NC leader asked Mr Azad to lead the regional voice in seeking mercy for Guru. “I have assured full support to Mr Azad. If he leads us, we can jointly approach the President to seek mercy for Guru,” he added.
Dr Abdullah said the President should grant clemency to Guru in the larger interest of the ongoing peace process.
Meanwhile, violent protests resumed in the valley today against the death sentence to Guru. No protests were reported from anywhere in the valley yesterday.
Protesters, carrying placards and banners, gathered at Batamaloo and Maisuma near the headquarters of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in the heart of the city this morning and started throwing stones at police personnel. The police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
Violent protests had rocked the entire valley for three consecutive days from September 27. At least 200 protesters, including women, and activists of several separatist organisations were taken into custody by the police over the past few days.
Hurriyat Conference (breakaway) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) president Shabir Ahmed Shah, National Front chief Nayeem Ahmed Khan, National Conference (NC) president and former Union Minister Omar Abdullah, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Hurriyat Conference (moderate faction) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Kashmir Bar Association, Democratic Liberation Party (DLP) chairman Hashim Qureshi and rival JKLF leader Javed Mir besides several militant organisations have “denounced” and protested the court order and sought presidential clemency for Guru.
— UNI
