The Hindu : National : Pardon Afzal: Mehbooba

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Wednesday, Aug 31, 2005

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Pardon Afzal: Mehbooba

Shujaat Bukhari

Clemency for Sarabjit, Afzal will firm up confidence-building process "Two citizens of India should not be treated with different yardsticks"

Mehbooba Mufti

SRINAGAR: The ruling People's Democratic Party president, Mehbooba Mufti, has pleaded for the acquittal of Muhammad Afzal, a Kashmiri facing the death sentence for his involvement in the December 13 Parliament attack case. In an interview to a local news agency, Ms. Mufti said the Centre should pardon Afzal if Pakistan accepted the clemency appeal for Sarabjit Singh.

Ms. Mufti, who is also an MP, said that if clemency appeals were made for Sarabjit citing his Indian nationality, voices should also be raised for Afzal for "he too is an Indian citizen." Two citizens of India cannot be treated with different yardsticks, she said.

According to the agency, the PDP president said that at a time when relations between the two "nuclear rivals" were easing "both countries should desist from such steps that create a political vacuum. Sarabjit and Afzal will have to be pardoned if the confidence building process is to get even firmer." Referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi's magnanimity in forgiving her husband's killer when he was awarded the death sentence, Ms. Mufti said hanging Afzal would be an "ill omen."

Earlier Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary M.Y. Tarigami appealed to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to review the sentence. "Afzal had not killed anyone but was sentenced for his emotions," he said.

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