BJP justifies capital punishment for Mohd Afzal

New Delhi, Sep 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party today justified the capital punishment awarded to Mohammad Afzal 'Guroo', saying the December 13, 2001 terror attack on Parliament amounted to an assault on India.

Reacting to reports about the demand of Presidential pardon for the terrorist, BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad said in India the capital punishment is duly recognised as a mode of punishment given in the rarest of rare cases.

''Terrorism means senseless killing of innocent people and an attack on Parliament means an attack on India itself. Therefore, the apex court had taken the decision after a three-tier judicial scrutiny.'' ''The exercise of power of pardon is done on the recommendations of the Government of India. We will like to know what government says on it. Let us not forget terrorists had killed thousands of people,'' he said.

Mr Prasad said the response to the larger issue of terrorism will not be inspired by petty politics.

In a statement, BJP Minority Morcha President Tanvir Haider Usmani, however, condemned Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's efforts to get remission in the sentence of Afzal.

He said such kind of 'gestures' by Mr Azad and the Congress towards terrorists would encourage anti-national forces. Mr Usmani charged the UPA Government with compromising with national security by pursuing an appeasement policy for petty political consideration and said it was evident from their decision of scrapping POTA and alliance with Naxals in AP.

UNI