Advani against clemency for Mohammed Afzal

Mumbai, Oct 7 (UNI) Former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, while disapproving the ongoing ''campaign of clemency'' in favour of Parliament attack case guilty Mohammad Afzal, today said the latter should be given the death penalty in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Advani said a campaign has been launched by several non governmental organisations and even a Congress chief minister has jumped into the bandwagon seeking clemency for Mohammad Afzal.

Expressing surprise over the campaign, Mr Advani said, ''We have also decided to launch a counter campaign, demanding death penalty for the person who has committed the rarest of rare crime of attacking Parliament -- the supreme power centre of the country.'' He said he would call on the President on this issue.

Urging the Prime Minister to end this debate on the clemency issue, Mr Advani said the Prime minister should declare that there would be no clemency in this case.

Meanwhile, taking strong exception to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's Havana statement, Mr Advani demanded that Dr Singh should retract his statement that India and Pakistan, both, were fighting against terrorism. Mr Advani said Dr Singh should retract the statement particularly now in the light of the evidences gathered by the Maharashtra police regarding ISI involvement in the July 11 serial train blasts in Mumbai.

Mr Advani lauded the Maharashtra police for unearthing the ISI involvement in the blasts. He said it is essential that the Centre and all the states should show zero tolerance against terrorism. The entire world should be made aware about Pakistani involvement in the serial blasts, he stressed.

Asked for his views on the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, Mr Advani said this issue was very wide-ranging and he would give his views on this issue in Parliament.

Earlier, speaking after releasing a book ''Nine years of RSS in Sindh'' at a function organised by Bharatiya Sindhu Sabha, Mr Advani pointed out that the President does not take the decision on the clemency but the file goes through the Home Department and a Council of Ministers recommends the clemency.

Generally, the death sentence is awarded in the rarest of the rare crime. Attack on the Parliament was the rarest of the rare crime, he emphasised.

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