INDIA SUMMARIZED

Srinagar : Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today expressed disappointment over the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and appealed to the people of Kashmir to exercise restraint. “PDP is disappointed at the hanging of Afzal Guru. We had urged that political sensitivities should be taken into considering while taking a decision on his clemency plea,” PDP spokesman Nayeem Akhtar said. “We appeal to the people of Kashmir to exercise restrain and not allow repeat of 2010 situation when more than 100 youth were killed,” he said. AFP In a guarded response to the hanging of Guru, Akhtar said PDP had appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee  to commute the death sentence into a life term. “We have been greatly disappointed and we understand that besides the legal procedure, there are other aspects of state governance for which the Constitution of India provides for clemency for the death convicts.” “Considering the sensitives and possible fall...

Phone calls made by ‘Fidayeen’ terrorists to Afzal Guru minutes before the attack on Parliament coupled with circumstantial evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt that he played an active part in the conspiracy, the Supreme Court had said. The apex court, in its August 2005 verdict, had noted that just before the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001, Guru had received calls on his mobile phone from one of the terrorists Mohammed — at 10:43 AM, 11:00 AM and 11:25 AM. The bench said transcripts of the call details established that Mohammed had told Guru that he and the others were going to execute the plan. The bench also took into consideration that Guru was instrumental in providing hideout and accommodation to the terrorists at Gandhi Vihar and Indira Vihar in north Delhi, and played a key role in arranging the logistics such as the purchase of chemicals used for preparing the explosives. Guru had also identified the bodies of five terrorists, Mohammed, Haider, Hamza,...