Mounting Pressure to Execute the Alleged Indian Terrorist Slug: India execution Date: 20/12/2012 Reporter: Bismillah Geelani

INTR 11 !ears a"ter the terrorist attac# on the Indian $arliament% the main opposition part! is no& demanding the hanging o" 'ohamad (")al Guru% allegedl! the mastermind *ehind the attac#+ The! &ant Guru to su""er the same "ate as (,mal (mir -asa*% the $a#istani militant in.ol.ed in the 200/ 'um*ai attac#+ 0e &as executed last month+ $ressure is mounting as other groups are also campaigning "or his execution+ Gurus1 merc! petition to India1s president is li#el! to *e re,ected+ But as Bismillah Geelani reports his hanging ma! ha.e serious political repercussions% especiall! in the tur*ulent -ashmir region+ T23T S435 Sounds "rom the $arliament6 Bed under narration n the 11th anni.ersar! o" the terrorist attac# on $arliament% la&ma#ers paid homage to those #illed during the attac#+ The attac# led to the death o" a do)en people% including one ci.ilian+ The *ullet mar#s are still .isi*le on the &alls o" $arliament+ $rotesters &ere demanding the execution o" 'ohammad (")al Guru% a -ashmiri 'uslim con.icted and sentenced to death "or his alleged in.ol.ement in the attac#+ Sushma Sa&ra, is the leader o" the main opposition part! B7$+ Sa&ra, 89I$ 1 : 42'(92 0INDI ; <2.er! !ear on Decem*er 1=% &e remem*er the *ra.e soldiers &ho died sa.ing the parliamentarians and political leadership o" the countr! "rom the attac#ers *ut the man responsi*le "or the attac# is still ali.e+ >h! has he not *een hanged &hen the courts ha.e "ound him guilt! on se.eral counts and sentenced him to death?@ Guru &as con.icted *! a special court in Ne& Delhi in 2002+ The charges against him included criminal conspirac!% aiding and a*etting a murder and &aging &ar against India+ 0is death sentence &as later con"irmed *! the Delhi 0igh 8ourt and in 200A% the Supreme 8ourt also upheld the decision+ But human rights la&!er Brinda Gro.er sa!s he did not get a "air trial+

Gro.er 89I$ 1 : 42'(92 2NG9IS0 ; <2.en as per the case o" the state (")al Guru at no point o" time held a &eapon% he did not #ill an!*od!+ The "i.e people &ho attac#ed the Indian $arliament &ere #illed there and then+ Those &ere the attac#ers+ 0e is alleged to *e a conspirator and !es his guilt has *een upheld *! the Supreme 8ourt *ut on the Cuestion o" (")al1s Guilt the main issue that has *een raised% is that he &as not gi.en e""ecti.e legal representation at the trial stage+ ( person &ho has not had an e""ecti.e legal representation &hich is a *asic tenet o" "air trial% &e are sa!ing &e &ill hang him?@ thers li#e senior ,ournalist (rti 7arath are not satis"ied &ith the Supreme 8ourt1s reasons "or upholding his death sentence+ 7arath 89I$ 1 : 42'(92 2NG9IS0 ; <I thin# there are serious Cuestions that &ere raised e.en &hen the Supreme 8ourt upheld his death sentence+ The! did put a Cuestion mar# *ecause the! tal#ed a*out satis"!ing the collecti.e conscience o" the nation &hich suggests or hints at the "act that there is no conclusi.e e.idence li#e there &as in the case o" -asa*+ (nd I thin# &e ha.e to di""erentiate *et&een (")al Guru 8ase and -asa*+@ But the Supreme 8ourt has dismissed Guru1s petition "or a re.ie&+ 0e is no& a&aiting the $resident1s decision on the merc! plea% &hich &as "iled *! his &i"e+ The $resident o" India has the "inal authorit! to decide &hether a death sentence should *e carried out or commuted into li"e imprisonment+ But the $resident usuall! "ollo&s the ad.ice o" the 0ome 'inistr! in deciding merc! petitions+ (nd the 0ome 'inistr! has alread! said that it &ill recommend Guru1s petition is re,ected+ But hanging Guru ma! ha.e serious political conseCuences in -ashmir+ -ashmiri separatists ha.e alread! &arned against an! such mo.e+ Sa!!id (li Gilani is chairman o" the (ll $arties 0urri!at 8on"erence% a coalition o" se.eral separatist groups+ Gilani 89I$ 1 : '(92 DRDD ; <India should #no& that (")al Guru is not aloneE the entire -ashmir nation is &ith him+ 0e is a hero "or the oppressed -ashmiri people and India &ill ha.e to pa! a hea.! price i" an! harm is done to him+ >e &ant to ma#e it clear to the Indian leadership and the political parties *a!ing "or -ashmiri peoples1 *lood that i" the! go ahead &ith their sinister plans the entire -ashmiri nation &ill rise in re.olt against the in,ustice and political murder+ 2.en the mainstream -ashmiri politicians% including 8hie" 'inister Dmar (*dullah% are opposed to Guru1s death sentence+ (*dullah cites the example o" -ashmiri Separatist 9eader 'aC*ool Bhat &ho &as hanged in the 1F/0s+ It1s *elie.ed to ha.e "uelled anti5India sentiment and dri.en man! -ashmiri !outh to ta#e up arms+

(*dullah 89I$ 1 : '(92 2NG9IS0 ; <I can1t escape "rom the "act that possi*l! the "irst generation o" -ashmiri terrorists &ere *orn out o" 'aC*ool Bhat1s death and toda! things are no&here near as the! &ere in 1F/G so I can expect a stronger reaction to the hanging o" (")al Guru+ Dilip $adgaon#ar is one o" the three interlocutors &ho &ere appointed *! the Indian go.ernment to negotiate &ith -ashmir groups and suggest measures to resol.e the -ashmir issue+ 0e also *elie.es that the death sentence &ill se.erel! a""ect the "ragile peace process in the region+ $adgaon#ar 89I$ 1 : '(92 NG9IS0 ; <'! "ear is that 20522 months o" the return o" normalc! in the .alle!% an unprecedented num*er o" people .isiting the .alle! this summer 510 !ears ago it &as A00 thousand this !ear it has crossed 2 million% there are se.eral other things that ha.e happened in *et&een% the securit! people ha.e *een telling !ou that militanc! has come do&n and so on++ i" !ou are not going to handle this *usiness o" hanging (")al Guru sensiti.el! the *ig ris# is that much o" this positi.e de.elopment that &e ha.e &itnessed in 2 odd !ears might su""er a set*ac#+ (nd I1m deepl! &orried a*out that+ 'an! argue that it1s time to put an end to the death penalt! altogether+ But the go.ernment isn1t interested in that de*ate !et+ India chose to *e among the =F countries &ho .oted against the DN resolution see#ing the a*olition o" the death penalt!+ Sandeep Dixit% a parliamentarian "rom the ruling 8ongress $art! sa!s Indian societ! is not !et read! to ta#e that step+ Dixit 89I$ 1 : '(92 2NG9IS0 ; <>hether it is a deterrent or not I thin# as o" toda!% &e *elie.e it is the right thing to do+ (nd some&here &e ha.e to su* ser.es the social conscience o" the nation+ It is not *ar*aricE it1s not ar*itrar! so ultimatel! &hat &e are doing is some&here in our social conscience &e &ant a particular punishment to *e gi.en to some*od! &ho has hurt our collecti.e conscience+ 4rom Ne& Delhi% this is Bismillah Geelani "or (sia 8alling+