India warned of serious consequences

SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, has warned the Indian government of serious consequences if Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri who has been awarded the death penalty by an Indian court in a false case, is executed.

Gilani, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said that Afzal Guru is our national hero who has been implicated in a baseless case by the Indian government, Kashmir Media Services reported. He strongly condemned the arrest of Hurriyet leader, Masarrat Alam Butt and his shifting to Srinagar Central Jail despite court orders for his release.

It is a mere political vendetta and the worst example of Indian state terrorism, he added. Pointing out that Indian troops police had unleashed a reign of terror in Indian Kashmir, he said that the puppet administration was arresting pro-freedom leaders and activists at a time when an Amnesty International team is visiting the valley.

Gilani expressed concern over the continued illegal detention of pro-freedom leaders Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Abdul Aziz Dar, Mir Hafizullah, Bilal Ahmad, Zaffar Habib, Manzoor Ahmad and Sanaullah.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2010.