Jammu: The final decision on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru`s mercy petition rests with the President, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said and asserted that anybody working against India "must pay the price" for it. "The mercy petition is lying with the President of India. It is now for the President to give her consent -- wait till the consent comes," Abdullah said. "As an Indian, anybody who has worked against India must pay the price for it," the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy said outside the Assembly.
On Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq`s alleged provocative speech at Jamia Masjid recently, Abdullah said, "India is a free country. In this free country, everybody has a freedom of speech".
The minister, however, said "there is no freedom of speech against territorial integrity of the country. I will not tolerate this because of being an Indian".
"Whether it is Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq or Farooq Abdullah -- all are Indians. We have some issues with the Centre which we want to solve," he said.
On State Accountability Commission`s notices to several state ministers including the chief minister, Abdullah said "there are names of everybody, let them prove, I am not bothered what they are going to do, I am not worried".
PTI