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M A I L B A G

Terrorists deserve no mercy

This is regarding the reported moves for Presidential pardon for Mohammad Afzal Guru who is sentenced to death in the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack case.

India cannot and must not be made hostage to threats of increased jihadi violence if the guilty is punished. Afzal has not condemned the attack on Parliament, nor has he affirmed the faith in Kashmiri Sufi culture. Thousands of Muslims and Bangladesh President Dr Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and his family were massacred by Pakistani forces. But there was no protest in Kashmir.

For us Indians, Kashmir is a test case for secular-democratic developments in the South Asian region. It is a historic moment to make it clear that in SAARC all faiths have to live together. There is no exclusive space of one against the other. Kashmiri leaders must condemn the jihadi attack on Parliament and the mercy appeal must express personal remorse of the guilty.

DHIRENDRA SHARMA, Centre for Science Policy, Dehradun

The editorial, “President’s dilemma” (Oct 3) in the context of Afzal’s hanging clearly shows the national tragedy. Whenever some decision has to be taken in the larger national interest, we always get entangled in dilemmas. There should be no problem for anyone in the case of hanging of Pakistan-supported Islamic jihadi, Afzal.

Rashtrapati Bhavan should not have accepted the mercy petition from Afzal’s family. The mercy pleas by the Nehruvian secularists in favour of Afzal are most unfortunate. The ISI-sponsored jihadis get encouraged by the acts and utterances of the Nehruvian secularists. If we really want to get rid of the menace of jihadis, we should first identify and weed out their supporters from amongst us. The jihadis can do no harm to Indians without the active support from their sympathisers crawling amongst us.

A.K. SHARMA, Chandigarh

III

This has reference to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene in Afzal’s death sentence in the wake of demonstrations in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister of a terror-hit state lobbying for clemency for the prime accused in the Parliament attack case is highly condemnable. Minority Muslims are enjoying extra freedom in India in comparison to any other minority community in any part of the world. Still they are crying for self-rule and autonomy. The silence of the Congress high command is intriguing.

How can we tackle terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim and Mohammad Salauddin if we are unable to punish the prime accused in the Parliament attack case?

AMAR DEEP BAGGA, Phagwara

Arundhiti Roy and Medha Patkar are two of a kind. They are always looking for photo opportunities to remain in the limelight. Their assertion that the investigation on the Parliament attack case was “not transparent” is a crude attempt to malign the Supreme Court. One would expect Mr Geelani to answer one simple question. If he has accepted his acquittal by the court, in the same case, what prevents him from accepting the verdict in Afzal’s case?

Sadly, all those who are advocating clemency for Afzal, for different reasons, are either blind to the realities of terrorism or are doing so for short-term gains. If Afzal had no mercy for those killed in the attack on Parliament, why should he be shown any mercy at all?

M.K. BAJAJ, Gurgaon

Afzal is a hardcore terrorist. Alas, law does not provide harsher punishment for the enemies of humanity as Afzal and those in cahoots with him are. Thus, it is stunning to see that there are public men and women who can think of showing any clemency to Afzal. If Afzal does not deserve death, does Monica Bedi deserve five-year jail by that logic?

The Centre will be yet again sending wrong signals to the terrorists if it decides to commute his death sentence. Afzal must be executed.

GEETANJALI KORPAL, Advocate, Amritsar

Make it people-friendly

This has reference to the news-item, “Roadways buses to have PCOs” (Sept 18). Numerous steps are being taken by Haryana’s Transport Department for improving the organisation such as training centres for drivers, GPS, frequency of CNG buses, manufacturing of buses of international standard and installation of PCOs in buses.

In addition, I suggest the transport authorities to channelise their energy in counselling the staff, especially drivers and conductors, so that they are more courteous to the people. The government should rope in the jobless youth for this. Certainly, it would help check the unemployment problem in the state to some extent.

These days women are holding top positions in politics and civil services. Women may also be employed as conductors in the local bus service or in short route buses plying in the state. It will boost their morale and improve the efficiency of the department.

VINOD JAIDKA, Panchkula.

A clarification

The news-item, “ISI hand in 7/11 blasts” (Oct 1) is factually incorrect. The Students Islamic Organisation of India has no links with any kind of terrorist activity. Our organisation has already condemned the Mumbai blasts.

Our national-level organisation works among the students and the youths to inculcate moral values and qualities. Thus, we are aware of our sense of duty and responsibility towards tasks of nation building.

OMAIR ANAS, Secretary, SIO of India, New Delhi