Srinagar August 11: Sharing serious concern about the possible fallout of Union Home Ministry’s recommendation on the mercy petition of Muhammad Afzal Guru, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Thursday appealed the President of India to use the mercy option in favour of the convict in view of the political and humanitarian situation prevailing in the State.
PDP senior leadership met under the chairmanship of the party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed here today and decided to appeal the President of India to take into consideration the highly sensitive situation in J&K which is trying to come to terms with huge material and humanitarian loss that it has suffered over the past two decades. “The party feels that Guru’s is a fit case for displaying compassion in broad national interest even as it condemns strongly terrorism in any form,” a handout by PDP General Secretary Muhammad Dillawar Mir said.
“The party expects the President of the country to take into consideration the universal disapproval of death penalty and also the highly fragile situation in the state,” the statement said and added that the party feels carrying out the death sentence against the Parliament House attack convict could impede the efforts at finding a way out of the political and humanitarian crisis that J&K has been facing. He said the state and nation of India have to rise above the individual acts of crime, howsoever serious and condemnable they may be and respond to the larger situation in J&K in accordance with our national ethos, understanding and reconciliation.
The punishment, if carried out, would only add to and not take away from the trust deficit between Jammu & Kashmir and rest of the country which the union cabinet itself has described as one of the two major reasons for the alienation of the people of the state, Mir said.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
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