PDP Storms Assembly Over Afzal Guru Execution
Speaker Rejects Motion, House Adjourned Amid Uproar
PDP Accuses Omar Govt of Silencing Democratic Voices
Slogans, Placards, and Protest Mark Day in Legislature
PDP Vows to Keep Pressure On, Moves Fresh Motion
Srinagar, Mar 1, KNT: Tempers flared in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Friday as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators staged a protest against the Speaker’s refusal to entertain their adjournment motion seeking a debate on the secret execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru and the subsequent denial of his mortal remains to his family.
The PDP had formally submitted an adjournment motion a day earlier, urging the Speaker to suspend regular proceedings to allow discussion on what it termed a “grave situation” caused by the fallout of Afzal Guru’s hanging and the state government’s silence on returning his body. However, Speaker Mubarak Gul remained unmoved and continued with the House business, sparking vociferous protests from PDP members.
Carrying banners and placards, PDP legislators repeatedly raised slogans inside the House demanding justice. The chamber reverberated with chants like “Tamil Nadu nay inkaar kiya, Punjab nay inkaar kiya, lekin J&K sarkar nay iqraar kiya” — highlighting how other state governments opposed the executions of those convicted in the assassinations of Rajiv Gandhi and Beant Singh, while J&K, they alleged, facilitated Afzal Guru’s hanging.
The Speaker adjourned the House for half an hour to calm the ruckus, but the scene repeated itself when the session resumed. PDP members again pressed for discussion on their motion, only to be met with another adjournment, this time for the entire day.
Speaking to reporters later, PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said the party wanted to discuss the “clandestine and unjust” manner of Guru’s hanging, which he alleged violated legal norms by not allowing Guru the opportunity to appeal in the Supreme Court following the rejection of his mercy plea by the President.
Akhtar slammed the Omar Abdullah-led government for “systematically crushing democratic expression.” He accused the government of resorting to “autocratic measures” in the wake of Afzal Guru’s hanging — including clamping down on newspapers, cable networks, and internet services. “This is a betrayal of democracy. Even elected representatives are being denied the right to raise matters of critical public interest inside the Assembly,” he said.
He warned that such “intolerant and authoritarian” actions could deepen the trust deficit among people. “By using repression instead of dialogue, the government is eroding public faith in democratic institutions,” he said, accusing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of wanting to govern through “force and fear.”
Despite the Speaker’s dismissal of their demand, the PDP has now submitted a fresh adjournment motion under Rule 56 of the Legislative Assembly procedures, seeking to suspend business on March 2 to discuss the same issue. The party reiterated that it would not relent until the Assembly addresses the matter of Afzal Guru’s execution and the treatment meted out to his family. [KNT]
