Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 18: While welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision to commute death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi murder convicts to life imprisonment, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today said reprieve given to late Gandhi’s assassins is a display of double standards in case of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country.
“They have sent a wrong signal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir that you continue to be treated differently. This process was on at the time of hanging of Afzal Guru,” Mehbooba said while addressing a press conference here this evening.
She said, “the same reprieve should have been given in Afzal Guru’s case. Reprieve to Mohammad Afzal Guru would have made the situation different in Kashmir. But Guru was hanged in most atrocious manner by the Government of India to which the National Conference is a partner.”
Ms Mufti added that Guru was denied all judicial reliefs and it was ironic that death sentence was commuted in case of the killer of Rajiv Gandhi who also symbolized nationalism like the Parliament does.
“Even the experts have termed whole investigations faulty and leading Guru to gallows partisan,” said the PDP president.
Referring to Delhi rape and murder case in which one guilty was sent to juvenile home, Ms Mehbooba said these cases are classic examples of the discrimination Afzal Guru met at the hands of establishment.
She said while Tamil Nadu was celebrating commutation of death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers to life term, the people of Kashmir were not even allowed to mourn the death anniversary of Afzal Guru due to strict restrictions.
She regretted that Guru was picked up from Serial No. 28 and hanged.
Equating the case of Tehelka journalist Tarun Tejpal with Congress MLA and former Minister Shabir Khan, Mehbooba said while Tejpal was still in Pune jail, Shabir Khan has been bailed out and was attending the Assembly.
Mehbooba said the double yardsticks of the Centre with the people of Kashmir and rest of India even create the problems for mainstream voices, who find it hard to face the people.
She further said besides Guru’s hanging, double standards were also adopted in case of Pathribal fake encounter where, she said the CBI proved the involvement of Army personnel.
“CBI had gone to the Supreme Court that unfortunately did not adjudicate the matter itself and instead handed over it to the army court which closed the matter in open,” added the PDP leader.
However, appreciating the investigations into Gujarat fake encounter cases, she wanted to know why the Government of India remains incapacitated in case of similar encounters in Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, NC leader and former Minister Dr Mustafa Kamaal said the hanging of Afzal Guru was “miscarriage of justice’’.
He said the commutation of death sentence of Guru indicated that the Centre was treating Kashmir and rest of the country differently.
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