Srinagar, Oct 01: Former Chief Minister Farooq
Abdullah on Sunday said he would meet President A P J Abdul Kalam
to seek pardon for Mohammad Afzal Guru, awarded the capital
punishment in the 2001 Parliament attack case.
"I will personally meet the President and request him for
clemency for Afzal," said Abdullah, a member of Rajya Sabha
The chief patron of opposition national conference told
reporters here that as per media reports, Afzal appeared to be
innocent and he had not been given a chance to defend himself.
Abdullah said an all-party delegation led by Chief
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad should meet Dr Kalam and seek pardon
for Afzal in view of public sentiments in the valley.
He said the hanging of Afzal was likely to affect Indo-Pak
relations. "Thank god, peace talks are going on between India
and Pakistan. Relations between the two countries will be
affected if Afzal was hanged," he said.
JKLF chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik left for Delhi yesterday
to mobilise public opinion to save Afzal from the noose. Malik
said he planned to mobilise intellectuals, lawyers, human
rights activists and others for a campaign launched to save
Afzal.
Bureau Report
