Mushawarat condemns Afzal Guru’s hasty, unjustified execution - Press Release

ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT

[Umbrella body of the Indian Muslim organisations]

D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar

New Delhi-110025 India

Tel.: 011-26946780 Fax: 011-26947346

Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com  Web: www.mushawarat.com

Mushawarat condemns Afzal Guru’s hasty, unjustified execution

New Delhi, 9 February, 2013: Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM), the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organizations, said here today in a press statement that Afzal Guru's execution this morning was legally and morally unjustified and hasty. Guru did not get a fair trial in the first place. His repeated assertions that he was sent to Delhi from Srinagar by a certain named police officer in Srinagar were never heard or probed. At best, he was a secondary player. He did not take part in the actual attack. The final verdict too had other considerations as the Supreme Court itself said in its verdict, “The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, had shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if capital punishment is awarded to the offender.”

Dr Khan further said that it has been known to the political class and the media for years that the public opinion in the Valley is enraged by this trial and the verdict and there is real risk of the revival of militancy as a result of Guru’s execution. As such, I think it was reckless on the part of the Indian government to have taken this highly risky, hasty and dubious step which is akin to the execution in 1983 of Maqbool Bhat on a crime committed by others thousands of miles away in Britain but the hasty execution eventually led to ignite the militancy in the Valley of Kashmir.

Dr Khan added that today’s reckless act is part of the political game Congress is playing to outdo VHP/BJP's Hindutva and security planks. This also shows that a rank politician should never be elevated to the position of the President of India. We condemn this execution and consider it short-sighted and hasty.

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