Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Mar 9: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Member Parliament, Mir Mohammad Fayaz today questioned the silence maintained by the Congress party on release of Hurriyat leaders in 2002 when the party was in power in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the uproar created by the Congress in Rajya Sabha over the release of separatist leader Masrat Alam by the PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Fayaz said, “Congress is adopting double standard on the release of political prisoners”.
Criticizing Congress for raising hue and cry over the release of Masrat Alam, he asked, “why Congress party didn’t utter a word when the PDP- Congress coalition in 2002 released Hurriyat leaders Geelani, Shabir Shah and Yaseen Malik”.
“Masrat Alam is small leader but those released when Congress was in power were high-profile leaders of Hurriyat Conference”, he said, adding “how can you justify your different stand on same issue”. The PDP MP further said, “we have only implemented the decision of the court and by doing so we have not committed any mistake as decisions of the judiciary are binding on everybody”.
Mr Fayaz alleged that Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad had compromised on principles to get elected to Rajya Sabha even as five Congress MLAs had voiced “similar views as PDP” on the hanging of Afzal Guru.
However, Mr Azad rebutted the charge saying 3-4 MLAs had in response to a statement by chief spokesperson of PDP, who is now a Minister, stated that on humanitarian grounds the family should have been allowed to meet Afzal Guru and his body handed over to them.
“They made no mention of the hanging… There was no condemnation of the hanging,” he said, adding the statement by the legislators was in their personal capacity and not authorized by the party”.
Follow our WhatsApp channel