Division in the Congress on the issue of execution of Afzal Guru is clearly perceptible with the party officials making distinction between Guru and Ajmal Amir Kasab.
The other day, AICC general Digvijay Singh demanded that the Parliament attack convict should be hanged at the earliest. “The Supreme Court has given him the death sentence for the kind of crime he has committed. It should be done (carried out) at the earliest,” Mr Singh told reporters.
But on Thursday, a CWC member made a clear distinction between Afzal and Kasab, the accused in Mumbai terror strike, facing the similar punishment.
“Afzal is a national (Indian), while Kasab is from Pakistan, the nature and severity of his crime is more than that of Kasab,” the member viewed.
There would be no reaction if Kasab is hanged, but the case of Afzal would be different. His execution could revive terrorism in the Kashmir Valley and the situation could be similar to that of the hanging of Maqbool Bhatt in the 1984, the Congress insiders feared.
Recalling the serious disturbances that had erupted in the Kashmir Valley following the execution of Kashmiri separatist Bhat, they said nothing should be done that has the potential to disturb the situation even slightly. Bhatt was hanged in Tihar Jail for killing a policeman.
They furthter said that the BJP would certainly mount pressure on the government for immediate execution of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru. This is because of abrogation of Article 370, uniform civil code have been the core issues of the BJP’s ideology.