Hang the `Zero', he is not a hero: Hanging of Mohd Afzal (Muslim terrorist to be hanged in India)

Bhopal Oct 3: Afzal Mohammed is not a hero, he is the prime conspirator in the Parliamentary attack killings on December 13. As majority rules the roost, every one wants `Hanging' for the anti-nationals who planned the attack on Parliament. Justice should prevail and safety of India and its countrymen must be our priority. "In a democracy, majority counts the most and in this case our countrymen have considered the court judgment of hanging to Mohd Afzal on the basis of evidences as "fair and un-biased".

Those involved in the case were given sufficient time by the court at all levels to defend themselves but they failed to prove their innocence or non involvement", said Nitin Singh a young advocate and a civil service aspirant and added that those who are pleading against the hanging forget about the human rights of next of kins of attack victims. An eminent English teacher, Sunil said that 'it being a major concern of the country, he should be hanged irrespective of sect or religion as guilty deserves rigorous punishment. It is unfortunate that the political parties are making this an issue. The death sentence will be a strict lesson to the society and it should be thought positively.

ML Dwivedi, a very senior citizen who retired twenty years ago from the post of a Deputy Secretary said 'a court judgment is a court judgment which is announced after a free and fair trial irrespective of cast colour or creed and a sentence awarded should not be diluted in any manner whatsoever.' He also said that in fact the judgment should have come much earlier in order to be more effective. The political leaders and the present and former chief ministers of Jammu & Kashmir should be ashamed of suggesting life imprisonment instead of death sentence to Mohammad Afzal for his role in 2001 attack on the parliament killing 9 policemen and parliament staffer.

An MBA working in a multi national company, Pravin Saxena, said "the sentence of hanging is politically influenced" and added he should be given life imprisonment not be hanged rather he should be given life imprisonment.. If the terrorism issue can be solved by such verdicts then I would suggest the government to look back at their mistakes they have cone in the past, negotiating on the Kandhar issue etc.

Dhirendra Gajbhiye, a Research Officer in Reserve Bank of India said that if the President of India receives a mercy appeal from the side of Mohd. Afzal, he should accept the same and convert it into life imprisonment instead of hanging because hanging is against humanity and all norms of a civilized society. Hanging will make the culprit the hero which may spread the agitation in the Kashmir valley.

Dr. Apoorva Tripathi said that he should be hanged because this case is one of the rarest cases and it was deliberately planned attack and not an innocent act. This shows his pervertad mentality and in any any case he should not be spared even on a appeal to the president of India . His hanging will act as an example to other terrorist who will not dare in future to cause panic in India as and when they desire at the support of Pakistan's motives of creating disorder in India said

Dr. Mukti Tripathi, a post-graduate student of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal She said that terrorism in India is the handiwork of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits Pankaj Jain an employee of a software development company here said let him make an appeal before the President of India for mercy and let us see the out come of the same as he has a right to do so in our democratic set up. As it is he deserves to be hanged otherwise the members of the family of those security personnel killed in the encounter protecting the parliament will feel depressed and cheated.

Ms Reena, a housewife living in Jammu who visited her in-laws here said Afzal's hanging will act as an eye opener to other terrorists who will think many times before killing innocent people. She said the agitation in favour of Mohd Afzal has no impact in Jammu. It is confined to Kashmir only.

Ms Aarfa Khan said while the one who is found guilty of a crime by the court of law should be punished in accordance with law but death sentence will be too harsh to be given that too during the pious Ramzan days. His sentence should be converted into life sentence by the President.

A widespread wave against the mercy appeal of converting hanging into life imprisonment to Mohd Afzal, a prime conspirator of terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament at New Delhi in 2001, is being witnessed in Bhopal these days. The attitude of the present Chief Minister of Congress led coalition in Jammu & Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and many other prominent leaders of various political parties beside large scale violent public protests in J&K against the hanging of Mohd. Afzal has come into sharp focus of for and against by majority of people here. However, some people have also been found expressing their opinion against the hanging.

It may be recalled that a group of about half a dozen terrorists on December 13, 2001 attacked the Parliament of India resulting in a 45-minute gun battle in which 9 policemen and parliament staffers were killed. All the five terrorists identified as Pakistani nationals were also killed by the security forces then and there. The attack took place around 11:40 in the morning. The terrorists set off massive blasts and had used AK-47 rifles, explosives and grenades for the attack. Senior Ministers and over 200 MPs were inside the Central Hall of Parliament when the attack took place.

Mercy to Afzal Guru?
The war against terrorism would lose its momentum if we fail to give deterrent punishment to one found guilty beyond a shadow of doubt by all the tiers of our judicial system.
The spurious campaign demanding commutation of Afzal Guru's death sentence in the Parliament attack conspiracy is a handiwork of friends of terrorists, separatist elements and the bleeding hearts of the "liberal brigade". The person found guilty by the Supreme Court has not even signed the petition in his warped belief that "martyrdom" would bring him and his faith glory. A number of foreign-funded NGOs - that are notorious for their anti-development stance - have turned the case on its head by projecting it as a communal issue. Medha Patkar's claim that execution of Afzal Guru would widen the rift between communities is most reprehensible. Does she really believe that the man who conspired to attack the Parliament represents Muslims at large and that the community would be aggrieved if he were hanged? Equally questionable is her assertion that the minorities should be made to feel secure and the opinion of the Kashmiri people should be respected. Criminal deeds of individuals or groups are to be decided by the judiciary on merit and not on the basis of the opinion of certain section of the society. Does Medha Patkar think minorities will feel more secure if the convicted terrorist is set free? Arundhati Roy's stand is even worse. She says the entire case is full of "fabricated stories and evidence". If one were to believe this celebrated writer of fiction, the entire case of attack on Parliament was a fiction! No one attacked the symbol of our democratic polity and sovereignty!! It was perhaps cooked up to defame minorities!!!

No one is surprised by the vociferous demand for pardoning Afzal raised by separatist elements in J&K. They never let go even half an opportunity to arouse anti-Indian sentiments. That the CPM has also joined them is in line with its strategy to weaken the nation and create chaos essential for a communist dictatorship to take over. What is surprising and painful is J&K Chief Minister Gulam Nabi Azad's reported telephonic request to the Prime Minister to recommend clemency for the terrorist. The argument that hanging Afzal Guru would hurt the sentiments of the people of the valley amounts to conceding that they approve of the attack on Parliament as no one is saying Guru was framed. There is no mass sympathy for the terrorist. It is only the separatist and their friends that are agitated. Will these elements stop supporting terrorism and separatism if the President were to pardon the man found guilty of a heinous crime? If the answer is in the negative, what is the point in tampering with the Supreme Court judgment in the case? The bleeding hearts among "liberals" need to do some introspection. Why do they get agitated when a Muslim is to be brought to justice and handed down a punishment commensurate with his crime? Why didn't Gandhian Nirmla Deshpande, who is sitting on dharna demanding mercy for Afzal, raise such a hue and cry to save the lives of Indira Gandhi's assassins, and for that matter, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi?

SAR Geelani, a co-accused in the conspiracy case, is in the forefront of the campaign to seek clemency for Afzal. He lost no time after his release from jail to announce that he would continue to work for the "cause". It is not difficult to understand what he means by the "cause". Whatever else he may be, he has not shown by his actions that he is a patriot. It may not be well known that he escaped conviction on a technical ground, as the prosecution didn't produce as witness the person who had recorded Geelani's electronic communications with co-conspirators. While upholding his acquittal by the High Court, the Supreme Court observed that Geelani was not above suspicion. If the CBI failed to make a strong case against the accused in the High Court, is it within its legal rights to file a review petition in the Supreme Court requesting permission for a re-trial of Geelani? One is not a student of law and, therefore, can only suggest that the prosecuting agency examine the possibility.

MS Bitta, Chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front, deserves to be commended for his valiant fight against terrorism. Himself a victim of terrorism, Bitta has done a lot to neutralize the motivated "save-the-terrorist" campaign. Bitta lost a leg and suffered serious injuries when he and other Youth Congress workers were attacked by Khalistani terrorists outside the organization's national headquarters in Delhi. He survived the bomb blast but many of his colleagues lost their lives. He has brought into sharp focus the deeply hurt sentiments of the families of those who laid down their lives fighting the terrorists during the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. Why the elements that are so concerned about the sentiments of the people of the Valley have shown no sympathy for the victims of the conspiracy hatched by Afzal and his gang. Nehru had once said he would hang by the nearest lamppost those indulging in corruption. If the first Prime Minister of India had no compunction in asking for a death sentence to a corrupt person, why are our bleeding hearts keen to protect a convicted terrorist? No less a person than LK Advani, the then Deputy Prime Minister of India, had suggested death sentence for rapists. Perhaps it was an emotional outburst. But demand for hanging the terrorist is based on solid logic and is in the national interest as it would strengthen our resolve to fight terrorism and send the right message to terrorists.

Our criminal justice system has so many infirmities, including not-so-stringent laws and their unsatisfactory implementation, that it is not quite often that the prosecuting agencies succeed in getting a terrorist convicted. Further, judiciary awards the death sentence to a person only in the rarest of rare cases. That is why the conviction of Afzal Guru, the mastermind behind the outrageous attack on Parliament, is significant and must be taken to its logical conclusion. It was no ordinary incident. It was an attack on the symbol of our sovereignty and a conspiracy to eliminate the entire class of our elected representatives. It is hard to imagine what would have happened if the terrorists had succeeded in their devilish design. The war against terrorism would lose its momentum if we fail to give deterrent punishment to one found guilty beyond a shadow of doubt by all the tiers of our judicial system.

The billion plus Indian patriots are pained and aghast at the stupid arguments put forward for showing mercy to the condemned terrorist. Indians across the board, barring a handful of self-seekers, were devastated by the attack on Parliament and want the guilty to be handed down deterrent punishment so that no one should even dream of repeating such a dastardly attack. Any leniency shown to Afzal would send a strong message to the terrorist outfits and their handlers across the border. They would perceive it as our weakness and would be encouraged to mount more devastating attacks on our national and religious symbols. On hopes that the President is fully aware of the situation and will not allow him to be blackmailed by certain high-profile individuals whose credentials are suspect. The nation expects him to reject the plea for clemency with the contempt it deserves. He has the right to reject - at least once - even if the UPA Government under pressure from the Left and some of his own men recommends commutation of Afzal's death sentence.

Shyam Khosla, Manuj Features

http://www.centralchronicle.com/20061009/0910301.htm

Why Clemency Should Be Denied To Mohammed Afzal
October 06, 2006
Atlantean
Mohammad Afzal Guru helped facilitate the attack on the Indian Parliament on Dec. 13, 2001. He was caught, put to trial under due processes of law, he confessed and was sentenced to death by the highest court of the land. However, there are many who vehemently oppose Afzal's death by hanging. Let us see what their arguments are:

He wasn't given a fair trial. He wasnt given a good lawyer. His confession was forced.

That he wasn't given a fair trial is based on the argument that he wasn't given a good lawyer and his confession was forced i.e., he was tortured brutally into confession.

1. That he was tortured brutally is purely the personal opinion of his wife in an article in Kashmiri Times. This opinion is purportedly subscribed to by a majority of Kashmiris. Everybody is entitled to an opinion but that opinion need not be the truth.

2. In the article, Afzal's wife writes

"The police have made him falsely confess before the media even before the trial started."

In the same article, she writes

"All over India people have condemned the attack on Parliament. And I agree that it was a terrorist attack and must be condemned."

According to her, her husband has "falsely confessed" meaning that Afzal is innocent but she contradicts herself in the line "I agree it was a terrorist attack."

3. If indeed the STF tortured Afzal into confession and if Afzal is indeed innocent, then how come Afzal himself has never said he is innocent?

4. If indeed the STF tortured Afzal but Afzal isn't innocent, how can that be a reason for clemency? If indeed the STF tortured Afzal, then the STF may be guilty of human rights violations. And if that is so, Afzal's wife should use the judicial powers that she has, that she's so obviously using to plead for clemency for her husbad, to establish the guilt of the STF personnel who tortured Afzal and get them punishment. But that is no reason for granting clemency to Afzal. All those who deserved to be punished must be punished - be it Afzal or the STF personnel who allegedly tortured her husband.

"I am not saying Afzal is innocent. It is just that he has not been given justice" - SAR Geelani.

1. He merely says Afzal wasnt given justice but doesnt go into the specifics of how justice was denied, if at all.

2. Geelani himself was part of the judicial process in which Afzal, Geelani and Shaukat Guru were sentenced to death. The same judicial process also freed Geelani of guilt. Then, the argument that there was no justice and that the process was unfair doesnt hold water. What is Geelani trying to say? If the judicial process to which he was party was unfair, is he trying to say that his acquittal was also unfair? If clemency is given to Afzal and his sentence is reduced to life imprisonment on the grounds that the judicial process was unfair, then Geelani must be apprehended and put through the judicial process again because it would've been established by then that the judicial process was unfair.

A news report on CNN-IBN:

'The Government must see that hanging does not become a stigma on the Indian democracy as everyone, cutting across political lines in Kashmir, was opposing the move. It will be a strategic move forward," Geelani said.

Stressing that Afzal was not given a proper 'defence', Geelani said the real planners of the crime were scot free in Pakistan and the government was doing nothing about it. Afzal was a third level accused.

"The situation in Kashmir needs to be taken into account before deciding on what he had done,'' he added.

1. Not everyone is opposing the move. Only a few are.

2. When Geelani himself concedes "I'm not saying Afzal is innocent," the argument that "Afzal was not given a proper 'defence'" is futile and irrelevant.

3. The real planners of the crime may be in Pakistan. The Indian state will make all efforts to get them to justice as well. But that Afzal is a "third level accused" is no reason for clemency for Afzal. There's no third level or first level here. An attack against the Indian state remains an attack on the Indian state.

Nobody, neither the state nor society has the right to take away the life of an individual.

This is the age old human rights argument. If neither the state nor the society has the right to take away the life of an individual, then does the state have the right to use the hardearned tax money of its citizens to finance the entire life imprisonment term of a person who has openly shown that he hates this society and wishes to disintegrate it?

Afzal's hanging will make him a martyr - which can be used by terrorists to create more terrorists.

I feel Afzals' clemency will create more Bajrang Dal activists in India than terrorists. I feel it comes to choosing between the two - a few terrorists or thousands of Bajrang Dal activists.

Afzal's clemency will also be used by terrorist hijackers to do another IC-814 and get him and a few more terrorists released.

Afzal's hanging will lead to widespread violence and chaos in Kashmir.

That Afzal's hanging will lead to violence and chaos is based on the assumption that there will be violence and chaos. There's no way of knowing that things will indeed turn out that way.

I have assumptions to make as well. I assume (I emphasize... assume, not exhort) that clemency to Afzal will rattle the BJP, RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal. This may have two undesirable effects:

1. It may be used for recruiting thousands of activists by the hardline Hindu right wing parties.

2. Clemency to Afzal may lead to violence and chaos throughout India as well. The 150 million Muslims living in India might come under grave threat from Bajrang Dal activists who think the Indian state is doing gross injustice by giving clemency to Afzal just like the Kashmiri seperatists who think the Indian state is doing gross injustice by hanging Afzal to death. A pogrom may be organised to vent out the frustration of these groups and this might result in thousands of Muslims being slaughtered ala Godhra 2002 throughout India.

We have a choice to make - a few stones pelted and a few grenade attacks on security personnel in Srinagar or thousands of our Muslim brothers being killed in pogroms. (This is based on assumptions mind you. The same kind of assumption that is used to justify the chaos and violence that may erupt in Srinagar if Afzal is hanged or any terrorist attacks that might ensue.)

Since I have a heart and care for all my Muslim brothers with whom I share this country, I choose the former. I dont want clemency to be granted to Afzal as it may lead to the organised murder of Muslims in thousands.

Allah is merciful but he's very strict against those who violate the human rights of others and Allah is harsh against those who kill innocent people whatever their objective may be - something that Mohammad Afzal did to the 9 security personnel he killed or helped to kill.

Afzal is fighting for an Azad Kashmir which will be governed by Islamic Law. According to Islamic Law, waging war against another human being amounts to waging war upon Allah and His Messenger since all creation is the property of Allah.

5:33 "The only reward for those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom..."

Insh'allah, Afzal should get the right punishment as Allah sees it fit. Since we live in a modern democratic country in the 21st century, however, we should not crucify him or cut off his limbs. Death by hanging is a more humane punishment.

PS: Ridiculing the decision of the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court of India, amounts to contempt of court.

(If you think clemency to Afzal is a grossly incorrect act and there should be no revision of death penalty, you can register your protest by sending an automated e-letter to the President by participating in this online signature drive.)

http://desicritics.org/2006/10/06/004342.php

Secularism endangered

Kashmiri politicians, bleeding heart liberals and a motley crowd of citizens who think defence of Muslim terrorists will refurbish their secular credentials have launched a shrill campaign for grant of clemency to Mohammed Afzal Guru, the mastermind behind the dastardly attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. Unmindful of the fact that the terrorist strike on Parliament House that day constituted the most brazen assault on the prime symbol of democratic India, these individuals have been raising a host of issues to urge President APJ Abdul Kalam to commute the sentence.

The prosecution case is that Afzal handled the logistics for the daring attack. He was in touch with the Jaish commander Ghazi Baba and arranged transport and shelter for the five terrorists that entered Parliament on that fateful day. The trial court held him guilty and sentenced him to death. The death sentence was upheld by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. Those pleading his case advance three arguments. One, that he was not given a free trial; two, that he did not actually carry out the attack but only provided the infrastructure for the assault and that therefore he should be shown leniency; and, finally, the political argument - that Jammu & Kashmir will go up in flames if Mohammed Afzal is hanged and that his execution will derail the peace process with Pakistan!

The first argument about him not getting a fair trial is absolute hogwash. The problem with the justice system in India is that it is over sensitive to arguments of bias from terrorists and persons who perpetrate mass murders and largely insensitive to the feelings of the victims of terrorism. The charges against Mohammed Afzal have been examined by three courts and all of them have come to the conclusion that he must be hanged for what he did.

The second argument about Mohammed Afzal being in the second or third tier of the conspiracy and, therefore, deserving a milder sentence is not supported by law. The law makes no such distinction. Proving logistical support for the attack on Parliament is as dreadful as pulling the trigger or lobbing a grenade. In fact, it is much worse. Without such back-up the terrorists would never have been able to carry out their mission that day.

Last, it is argued that his execution will fuel separatism in Jammu & Kashmir. Equality before law is a basic constitutional premise. Should the state interfere with this concept or make an exception on grounds of race, religion, region or gender at the altar of political expediency, this concept will go out of the window. In fact, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister, ought to be sacked for advancing this argument because it amounts to saying that he cannot handle the law and order situation in his State if the law takes its course in the Parliament attack case. As regards the Indo-Pak peace process, India must stop chasing this chimera.

Mr Azad is in the forefront of the campaign to save Afzal's life. Since Mr Azad belongs to the "secular" Congress party, he must first concentrate on protecting the Hindu and Buddhist minorities in his State. Thus far, there has not been a single initiative on his part to bring back Kashmiri Pandits, who have been driven out of India's only Muslim-majority State. On the contrary, with him at the helm, Hindus have started migrating out of other districts as well. The story this week is of the exodus of Hindus from villages in Doda district to Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister, if he has any semblance of "insaniyat" left in him, ought to bend his energies to protect the Hindu minority in his State, rather than hold a brief for the man who organised the assault on our Parliament.

Having flourished in the liberal, secular, democratic environment that India has offered him, this is how Mr Azad is paying his dues to our Constitution and our democratic way of life! It is high time some one told him that his membership of the Congress cannot shield him from the charge of pandering to Muslim communalism. His defence of Mohammed Afzal has completely exposed his secular and democratic pretensions.

Mr Azad's shocking response to the judgement in the Parliament attack case can be traced to the wishy-washy attitude of the Congress to the growing problem of terrorism. Take the case of Abdul Nasser Mahdani, the prime accused in the Coimbotore blast case. Mahdani, an Islamic hardliner who lost a leg in a bomb explosion, stands accused of harbouring those who carried out the serial bombings at the venue of BJP leader LK Advani's rally in Coimbotore on February 14, 1998. Mr Advani had a narrow escape because the bombs went off minutes before his arrival at the venue, but the blasts claimed 59 lives. Police investigations revealed that Mahdani was in contact with Pakistan's ISI and was involved in training terrorists.

Mahdani has been moving courts, albeit unsuccessfully, for grant of bail on grounds of ill health. Following the rejection of his bail pleas by the Madras High Court, politicians in Kerala got into the act to bail him out. On March 15, 2006, the Congress, which was then in power in the State, moved a resolution in the Kerala Assembly seeking medical treatment "of the highest order" for Mahdani. The Left Front, which was in the Opposition at that time, moved an amendment to the resolution seeking parole for Mahdani. This was adopted by the State Assembly unanimously. Obviously, all political parties in the State believed that appeasement of Mahdani would get them the Muslim vote. Since parole or transfer was not legally feasible, it was now the turn of Tamil Nadu to appease Mahdani. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Government in that State invited leading Ayurvedic experts from Kerala to attend to Mahdani in jail.

The cases of Mahdani and Mohammed Afzal tell us a lot about our attitude to terrorism. Where will such genuflection before terrorists take us? If we lack the resolve to incarcerate the man who was the mastermind behind the Coimbotore blasts or to hang the man who executed the attack on our Parliament, will democratic, secular India survive? Is this the beginning of the end?

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_name=surya%2Fsurya17.txt&writer=surya

Celebrating treason

With no logic, no legal figment and no public support at their command, the NGO brigade has descended to wringing out every drop of emotion, with the help of a misguided section of the media. They have spun out a tear-jerker that could be a Bollywood scriptwriter's envy. The leading light of the India-baiting jholawala brigade, one Nandita Haksar, was in her element on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan last Thursday. Caressing seven-year-old Ghalib, son of death merchant Afzal Guru, she claimed that the (tutored) child told President Kalam that his life's ambition to become a doctor would remain unfulfilled if his father's life were snatched away. The boy cutely stood, suitably melancholic, under Haksar's ample protection while his mother and grandmother recounted their interaction with a sympathetic President. Split TV screens, meanwhile, kept zooming in on that blabbering classes' icon Arundhati Roy who can be guaranteed to cheerlead any gathering that aims to berate India's pride, rule of law, or economic progress.

Those who have made a profession out of running India down have found a new cause celebre in the death row convict. Having tasted blood by successfully browbeating the system into exonerating Afzal's co-conspirator SAR Geelani, the India bashers are convinced they can notch up another victory by getting the pusillanimous Congress leadership to buckle under pressure. Already, a jittery Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has spoken out in their favour, warning that the Valley may erupt if the hanging happens. Although his Cabinet colleague, Jammu leader Mangat Ram Sharma, has been forced to sound a dissenting note and one of the party's few mass leaders, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh picked up courage to demand Afzal's execution, the Congress is petrified at the thought of taking a decision either way.

To begin with, I fail to see why there should be a debate at all. The matter is clear-cut. Afzal Guru was one of the terrorists who stormed Parliament House on December 13, 2001 and it was he who first opened fire on security personnel, apparently killing three of the six who died protecting the majesty of democracy and the nation's honour that fateful morning. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death by a POTA Court - a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court.

The same process of law failed to find sufficient evidence against his cohort SAR Geelani and acquitted him much to the chagrin of patriotic civilians as well as the security establishment.

Geelani breezed out of Tihar and held a Press conference amid the raucous applause of the 'Hate India' brigade, in which he extolled the virtues of the Indian judiciary, while slamming the political establishment.

Consequently, Geelani faced an awkward dilemma when the Hate India-wallahs started baying for the judiciary's blood in the Afzal case, claiming the convict did not get a fair trail. This was reiterated by his wife Tabassum, who falsely asserted before TV cameras that her husband did not even get the services of a lawyer - a charge she apparently conveyed to the President. The duplicity of the jholawalas who have taken control of Tabassum, in a way reminiscent of Teesta Setalvad's stranglehold over Zahira Sheikh prior to the latter's somersault, is mindboggling. If SAR Geelani got a fair trial in the same case, how come Afzal Guru did not? The bottom line of the NGO brigade's contention is that justice must conform to their likes and dislikes. So, if the Supreme Court refuses to stop construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam, it shows the Indian judiciary to be contemptible; if it awards the death penalty to Afzal Guru, there's a miscarriage of justice. But if it frees Geelani, the judiciary covers itself with glory.

Unable to explain the logic behind these contradictory assertions, some professional agitators are now claiming that most terrorist outrages in India are suspect. I heard one of them tell a TV channel that the Chittisinghpora massacre (on the eve of President Bill Clinton's visit) was "staged", while the Nanded bomb blasts were the handiwork of Bajrang Dal, the attack on the RSS headquarters at Nagpur "suspect", and there were big question marks on the Malegaon incident. First, each of these claims is patently false. Second, to obliquely suggest that the attack on Parliament was "staged" by Indian agencies reveals the depravity of their minds.

To be entertained, a mercy petition by a death row convict must consider whether he is remorseful or at least regrets his action. In the present case, the death peddler is not only unrepentant, but has actually refused to sign his mercy petition. At least he is an honest jihadi who carried out the Parliament attack in the belief (howsoever misplaced) that by seeking to destabilise India he was responding to a higher call. Afzal was driven by the same conviction that motivated several well-educated, sophisticated men to hijack planes and fly them into the WTC towers on 9/11 the same year.

Like them, Afzal was ready to die in the process, just as his five Pakistani colleagues did that morning. Why then, should his life be spared? Especially when we already have the example of Azhar Masood who had to be freed in exchange for passengers on IC 814? May be it is precisely in the hope that fellow jihadis will stage yet another successful hijack and get Afzal released that the Hate India agitators have mounted their tear-jerker campaign.

After all, their sole aim is to weaken and eventually destroy the Indian state and subsequently the civilisation itself. In any self-respecting country they would have been declared Fifth Columnists and prosecuted for treason. In India, on the other hand, they are celebrities who hog large chunks of airtime and column centimetres.

However, while the agenda and modus operandi of the NGO brigade is transparent, the Congress party's surreptitious scheming needs to be deplored roundly. Afzal's hanging, like Geelani's acquittal, is not a Muslim issue. The average Indian Muslim is not batting for Afzal. Like the rest, the Muslims regard Afzal as a traitor who has been sentenced to death by the due process of law and, therefore, deserves to be hanged. But bereft of any achievement in governance, the Congress has decided to aggressively fragment Indian society on caste and communal lines hoping to reap an electoral windfall. It believes that Arjun Singh's systematic destruction of institutions of excellence will get OBCs flocking to the party while clemency for Afzal will drive Muslims in droves into the Congress kitty. If in the process India gets irreparably mauled, so be it.

The people of India have repeatedly seen through such games. Had they been stupid, VP Singh would not have been reduced to a mere jhuggi-jhopri dwellers' leader today. The same fate could well be awaiting those Congress stalwarts who are plotting against the nation in cahoots with the jholawalas.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_name=mitra%2Fmitra206.txt&writer=mitra

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