Religion, Politics, Guru and a Potential Riot

Srinagar, May 21, KONS: The chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik, today warned of a “mass upheaval” if the parliament attack accused, Muhammad Afzal Guru, was executed by Indian authorities.
“Thousands of Maqbools were born in Kashmir after Muhammad Maqbool Bhat was hanged in Tihar, which fanned a suppressed spark into a conflagration,” Malik said.
Addressing a public meeting in Tral, Malik said that Kashmiris, who were commemorating the assassinations of two stalwarts, Maulana Muhammad Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone, could not be intimidated by threats of death and hanging.
He asked political circles and the civil society in India to play a constructive role in the Guru case.
The JKLF leader came down hard on the BJP and its like-minded parties for their shrill rhetoric on the issue.
“It does not behove a party which has not only talked of the peace process and resolving issues but also taken definite steps in this direction during its rule to talk of hanging just for political mileage,” he said.
“We have not talked only in the case of Afzal Guru, but had also appealed to the then president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, on behalf of Sarabjeet Singh, who was on death row in that country,” he said.
Malik said that resolving the Kashmir issue was imperative for world peace, and that Kashmiris who had sacrificed lakhs of lives in their struggle were the primary party to the issue.
“Kashmiris should be directly involved in the decision making process for a permanent and durable solution to the dangerous issue,” he said.

'Home ministry to take final call on Afzal's plea'
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Friday said the final decision on parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mercy petition rests with the central home ministry.
She said the Delhi government has made its position clear on the matter in the file, which was sent back to Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna Wednesday. In its reply, the Delhi government has not opposed Guru's death sentence but expressed concerns of law and order if he is executed.
"We have sent the file on mercy petition of Afzal Guru to the lieutenant governor. The final decision rests with the home ministry," Dikshit told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The file will be sent to the home ministry after getting clearance from Khanna's office.
As per the laid down procedure, the president sought the home ministry's views on the mercy petition of Guru in 2005.
The procedure on mercy petition also requires the home ministry to seek comments of the state government in whose jurisdiction the crime, for which the death penalty is awarded to the convict, has been committed. With inputs from wire agencies