J&K House debate on Afzal

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly functioned in fits and starts and was finally adjourned without much of a debate over the hanging of Afzal Guru and its repercussions for the Valley. Under pressure from almost all major political parties in the state, speaker Mubarak Gul had indicated during the weekend that a discussion on the sensitive issue would be allowed on Monday but tempers ran high and charges and countercharges became the order of the day.
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti started the debate saying that it was inhuman that Guru’s family was not allowed to meet him one last time before the execution was carried out on February 9. Mehbooba has been at the forefront seeking the suspension of the normal functioning of the house to “discuss this issue of urgent nature”. The ruling National Conference and the CPM too wanted a discussion. Apart from the Congress, which is in a quandary being the coalition partner of the ruling National Conference in J&K and the principal party at the Centre that took the call to hang Afzal Guru, all prominent political parties in the Valley have raised the issue of the return of Guru’s mortal remains to his family.
The NC was quick to raise the demand for the return of Guru’s body as CM Omar would have been very wary of the delicate law and order situation in the state having seen the stone pelting episode turn ugly and claiming 117 lives in the early part of his rule in 2010.