Adjournments mar J&K Assembly over debate on Afzal Guru

Tempers ran high in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly when a debate on the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru began on Monday.

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was on Monday adjourned twice as agitating opposition members sought to corner the government over a host of issues, including the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

As the proceedings started, Members of the PDP led by Leader of Opposition Mehbooba Mufti sought a discussion on the issue of Afzal`s hanging. It was followed by an adjournment motion by the Panthers Party, which demanded discussions on recent killing of two policemen by militants in north Kashmir and the death of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh, who died in a Pakistan jail. A PDP member also demanded debate on the death of a J&K student in Hyderabad. With Speaker Mubarak Gul announcing to hold discussion on the Afzal issue first, noisy scenes prevailed as members of Panthers Party, BJP and Jammu State Morcha stormed into the well in protest against the decision. With demands of discussions over various issues echoing at the same time in the House amid noisy scenes, the Speaker decided to adjourn the proceedings. When the House reassembled, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sought to respond to the queries on the death of the Kashmiri student in Hyderabad, but the JKNPP, BJP and JSM members remained adamant on discussion over the issues raised by them. They subsequently staged a walkout from the Assembly after the Speaker refused to entertain their demands. The Chief Minister then rose to respond over Afzal`s hanging during the debate on the issue initiated by Mehbooba Mufti, but PDP members demanded time for party member Muzafar Hussain Baig to present his views on the matter, which was rejected by the Speaker. Omar, in his reply, alleged that the sole motive behind demands of discussion on Afzal issue was to "blame and target" him. "Sole motive to hold discussion over the (hanging) was to target me, blame me for it as if I have hanged him or announced the judgement or rejected the mercy plea," he said. This sparked protests by PDP members, who trooped into the well of the House against the CM`s statement, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings again for 30 minutes. PTI