Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Clemency appeal

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister's appeal that clemency be shown to Mohammed Afzal Guru, sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case, is driven by vote bank considerations. Ghulam Nabi Azad represents all the people, not a particular section. He should spare a thought for the families of the slain security personnel. As for the groups that have launched a campaign to save Afzal, why do they not make any noise when hundreds are killed in acts of terror?

Viswanath T.S. Iyer,
Chennai

Such misplaced sympathy will embolden terrorists and their ISI handlers across the border. The reference to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, in which Nalini's death sentence was commuted, is unwarranted. Those who opposed the commutation of Nalini's sentence on the ground that it would set a bad precedent now stand vindicated. To cite the ongoing peace process as reason for clemency is also ridiculous. The likes of Afzal have roundly rejected the peace process. Does it not defy logic to invoke the same process for clemency?

Subramanyam Sridharan,
Chennai

PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti's appeal for mercy is politically explicable. What is un-understandable is Mr. Azad's stance. The Chief Minister represents the Congress, the biggest mainstream force in the Valley. For him to demand anything but the maximum sentence, duly confirmed by the Supreme Court, is astonishing and unfortunate.

R. Padmini,
Secunderabad

The clemency issue has polarised public opinion. While the people of Kashmir are protesting the death sentence, the people from outside the Valley are for it. This shows the extent to which the Kashmiris have been alienated from the rest of the country. Commuting a death sentence is not unusual. It was Sonia Gandhi who appealed for clemency to be shown to Nalini. Since Afzal was not directly involved in the Parliament attack, the clamour for clemency by mainstream parties and the people of Kashmir is not without justification.

K.S. Sundaram,
Bangalore

There is no gainsaying that Afzal has committed a heinous offence. But life imprisonment is much more severe than the death penalty. Let Afzal's case be the beginning of a larger reform of doing away with capital punishment. The attack on Parliament took place before the start of the peace process. Ever since the process began, the people of Kashmir have been waiting for a big political gesture from New Delhi. The last thing we should do is to hang Afzal, turning a deaf ear to the voice of Kashmiris.

Pranav Sachdeva,
New Delhi

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