'Afzal Guru's hanging was an abuse of judicial process'

Islamabad, April 18: Pakistani President

on Thursday paid a tribute to

, the man who was hanged after being convicted of terror attacks on the Indian parliament in December 2001 and called his execution was an abuse of

process.

Guru was hanged in New Delhi's Tihar jail early in the morning on February 9 and amid great confidentiality and it had sparked protests in the Kashmir valley for subsequent weeks.

Even the rulers of Jammu and Kashmir were perturbed by the hanging and the chief minister criticised New Delhi over the issue. Even Guru's family came to know about the hanging after the execution had been carried out and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had expressed his displeasure over the delay.

Zardari said "force and oppression" would not mute calls for self-determination in Kashmir, where the conflict for separation has claimed an estimated 1,00,000 lives in over two decades. He said the hanging of Guru by such abusing of the judicial process has annoyed the Kashmiris more.

Guru was convicted of conspiring with militants who had attacked the Indian parliament in 2001. The one-time fruit merchant and medical college dropout had stressed his innocence but could not defend himself legally. Protesters accused the police of framing him.

Zardari also termed Kashmir as an important segment of the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan and said any resolution of the Kashmir issue must be based on the Kashmiris themselves.

OneIndia News