GNS Jammu, Feb 28: With most politicians in the state still in a mood to protest the hanging of Afzal Guru, it is perhaps not surprising that the first day of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly's budget session witnessed much uproar over the issue. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted the governor's address on Thursday, slamming the Omar Abdullah government for failing to "protect rights of the citizen of Jammu and Kashmir - Mohammad Afzal Guru, who was hanged by depriving him of his proper legal rights". A sit-in was staged by MLAs of the party outside the assembly. The legislators shouted slogans and carried placards which read "Tamil Nadu Nay Inkar Kiya, Punjab Nay Inkar Kiya. Par Jammu and Kashmir Sarkar Nay Ikrar Kiya". They were citing Punjab and Tamil Nadu's strong opposition to the death penalty awarded by the courts to the assassins of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi respectively. The PDP is upset that the ruling National Conference allowed the Centre to hang Guru on Feb 9. He was executed for conspiring with the terrorists who attacked Parliament on Dec 13, 2001. The party feels that Guru was denied his right to appeal to the Supreme Court after President Pranab Mukherjee and the Union Home Ministry rejected his mercy plea. PDP legislators claimed that he was "hanged secretly in unholy manner". The reference was to Guru being buried in Delhi's Tihar Jail where his death sentence was executed. Guru's relatives should be handed his body so that they can conduct a proper burial in their native place, the MLAs stressed. The PDP has already moved an adjournment motion on the delay in returning his mortal remains. The party also demanded that the Assembly discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following his execution. Incidentally, an Independent legislator was marshalled out of the Assembly on Thursday. Engineer Rashid Ahmed loudly argued with the chair on the Afzal Guru issue, forcing Deputy Speaker Sartaj Mandi to order his explusion.
GNS Jammu Feb. 29, : A strange situation which was unfortunately created by an affront by Presiding Officer of J&K Assembly to 4 th Estate has finally been brought to close with media persons ending their protest. Peoples Democratic Party in the wake of this development expresses strong hope that not only will such piquant scenes be avoided. But it should augur well for the relationship of legislature and the media.as the latter ‘s role of public awareness and prevention of abuse in state-functioning cannot be underestimated. In a press statement a party spokesman said that PDP has always stood for free battle of ideas in which media has a significant place and they did not deserve the treatment that they met on publishing received information on alleged scams and misuse of authority by government functionaries and politicians . The spokesman said when media rose against excessive behavior and uncalled for remarks taking a princi...
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