Kashmir

Mehbooba Slams Omar for ‘Silence’ on Afzal Guru’s Hanging

Mehbooba Slams Omar for ‘Silence’ on Afzal Guru’s Hanging
Afzal’s Execution Was Height of Cruelty, Says PDP Chief
Omar Could Have Stopped the Hanging, Alleges Mehbooba
PDP Vows to Continue Demanding Return of Mortal Remains
Kashmiris Lost Faith in Democracy After Afzal’s Death: Mehbooba

Srinagar, Mar 1, KNT: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of complicity in the secret hanging of Afzal Guru and blaming him for failing to use his influence to prevent the execution. She described the manner of Guru’s hanging as the “limit of cruelty” and held Omar personally responsible for not intervening.

Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly after its adjournment due to fierce protests inside the House, Mehbooba said Omar Abdullah, despite enjoying more administrative powers than even his counterparts in Tamil Nadu and Punjab, chose not to act in Guru’s favour. “Instead of urging the Centre to delay or stop the execution, he reportedly encouraged it — just to appease Delhi and inflame tensions in Kashmir,” she alleged.

The PDP chief said her party, though in opposition and devoid of executive power, would continue to press for the return of Afzal Guru’s mortal remains to his family in Kashmir. “We are handicapped without power, but we won’t give up. This is about dignity and justice,” she asserted.

Mehbooba strongly criticised Omar for his indifference, saying that a single phone call from the Chief Minister to the Prime Minister could have changed the course of events. “Had he shown even a shred of empathy, maybe Afzal would be alive today,” she remarked.

Appealing directly to Omar Abdullah, she said, “Treat Afzal’s family like your own. Consider his son as your own child. What happened was a grave injustice — people will never forget it.”

She lamented that years of trust-building with the people of Kashmir — initiated during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee — were shattered the day Guru was executed. “All the confidence-building measures crumbled that morning,” she added.

Mehbooba didn’t stop there. She went on to criticise the Chief Minister for ignoring the worsening situation in his own constituency. “When 12-year-old children are rotting in jails and two civilians were drowned by security forces, where is your conscience, Omar?” she asked, adding, “Kashmiris will not forgive this betrayal.”

Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack case, was executed in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in 2013. His execution, conducted in secrecy and without prior notice to his family, has remained a point of contention and deep anger in Kashmir ever since. [KNT]

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