New Delhi, October 31
Facing criticism over reports that he had sought clemency for Parliament-attack case convict Mohammed Afzal, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said he had not taken up the issue with the Prime Minister but he was personally against death sentence.

Mr Azad, who was here to release a book on Jammu written by Chairman and Managing Director of ITDC Pervez Deewan, said it was sad that neither politicians nor media sought a clarification from him on the issue. “In Chandigarh, I only briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about demand for increasing Haj quota for the state and agitation in the valley over sentence to Afzal,” he said.

Mr Azad said the following day it was projected that sources close to the Chief Minister said that he (Azad) had sought clemency for Afzal and the rest is history.

Asked why he had chosen to remain silent till now, Mr Azad shot back: “I do not run a 24-hour news channel that I should keep making comments every now and then. I have a government to run and moreover when the statement attributed to me, rightly or wrongly, puts a lid on the agitation, there is no harm in remaining silent. After all, silence is golden at times.” However, the Chief Minister said he personally did not favour capital punishment. “If one is kept in jail for the rest of his life, he or she will die inch by inch.” Asked if there was any difference of opinion between him and the Congress party, Mr Azad said, “where does the question of difference of opinion arise when even my views have not been sought.”

Mr Azad said none of the regional or mainstream political parties had demanded that Afzal should be allowed to go scott free.