'Keep JK in mind before Afzal Guru's clemency'

The opposition People's Democratic Party on Thursday appealed President Pratibha Patil to use 'the mercy option in favor of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, in view of the political and humanitarian situation prevailing in the state'.

 The Party's senior leadership on Thursday met under the chairmanship of party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and decided to appeal the President 'to take into consideration the highly sensitive situation in Jammu and Kashmir which is trying to come to terms with huge material and humanitarian loss that it has suffered over the past two decades'.

'The party feels that Guru's is a fit case for displaying compassion in broad national interest even as it strongly condemns terrorism in any form", a statement issued by the party said.

In the statement, party General Secretary Mohammad Dilawar Mir said 'the party expects the President to take into consideration the universal disapproval of death penalty and also the highly fragile situation in the state'.

Mir said that the party feels that carrying out the death sentence against the Parliament house attack convict could impede the efforts at finding a way out of the political and humanitarian crisis that Jammu and Kashmir has been facing'.