Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik on Thursday said that Parliament attack conspirator Afzal Guru should not be hanged because he was not directly involved in it. Malik’s statement comes amid uproar in Parliament over the issue as the nation observed the 11th anniversary of the daring terror attack. Guru has been sentenced to death for masterminding the terror attack that took place on December 13, 2001. Last month also Malik had cautioned the government against hanging Guru, saying it would have disastrous consequences for the entire region and pave the way for return of violence to Jammu and Kashmir. State’s Independent MLA Engineer Rasheed also said that Guru should not be hanged as it would create a law and order problem in the state. Earlier in the day, Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma also made a controversial statement and advocated commuting Guru’s death sentence to life imprisonment. However, he later retracted the statement after being criticised by various parties, including the Congress. The BJP demanded in Parliament that the government announce the date of hanging Guru at the earliest. His mercy petition has been pending with the President for years, as the government has been finding it difficult to take a decision on it. The demand for his hanging intensified after the secret hanging of 26/11 attacker Ajmal Amir Kasab last month.
