RSS lashes out at HM for equating Sarabjit with Afzal

New Delhi, May 24 (UNI) Lashing out at Home Minister Shivraj Patil for equating Mohammad Afzal, the convict in the 2001 Parliament attack case with Sarabjit Singh, convicted on flimsy accusations of involvement in blasts in Pakistan, the RSS today asked if Afzal will be pardoned if Pakistan were to release the Indian prisoner.

Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece, in its editorial charged Mr Patil with commiting 'grave injustice' by equating India's free judiciary with the judiciary of Pakistan wilting under military dictatorship. "Does he believe Afzal is innocent? No Indian believes so", the paper said recalling that Afzal himself had admitted his faith in terrorism, jehad and treason. He initially refused to plead for mercy indicating his total rejection of the Indian judicial system. On the other hand Sarabjit had pleaded 'innocence' and India did not have any proof of his involvement of any conspiracy in Pakistan. "Comparing Sarabjit with the latter was an insult to all Indians", the paper said.

Pakistan had condemned Parliament attack and had promised every help to bring the culprits to book when the outrage occurred and several security men had lost their lives and their families were demanding justice. Afzal waged a war against India and attempted to defile Parliament, the temple of democracy. He can't be pardoned unless somebody at the helm believed that India is a 'soft banana republic' waiting to be balkanised having no moral authority or free and fair system of jurisprudence, the paper observed.

Alleging that Mr Patil was 'shame on India' proving himself to be the 'weakest, inept and undeserving Home Minister of the country,' the RSS said if the HM believes that Pakistan has a stake in securing Afzal's safety, than its hand was there behind the attack on Parliament. "He has demonstrated that he is irresponsible and not in sync with great idea of India and the system" the paper noted.

Terming the recent round of Indo-Pak talks as 'out of the box diplomacy' of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the paper said after the terror attacks in Jaipur, unprovoked Pakistani firing killing Jawans and the Pakistan Army's announcement that it will fight for Kashmir, kowtowing before terror seemed to be the fundamental aspect.

Mr Patil had only exposed the contours of dialogue by bringing in Afzal factor. It was indeed a 'dialogue of the deaf' as commented by a daily, the RSS said.

UNI MCN RP DS1531