Omar calls Afzal 'sahib', draws flak from Congress - Times of India

SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, perhaps in a bid to offset widespread perception that he had approved of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging, suffixed 'sahib' with Afzal's name in the assembly drawing angry reaction from National Conference's coalition partner, the Congress, on Sunday. "It's unfortunate that the Pakistani parliament and POK assembly adopted a resolution against the hanging of Afzal Guru and the head of our state government has equally glorified him," said J&K mini ster Sham Lal Sharma, a Congress MLA from Akhnoor. Minister of public health engineering, Sharma said leaderships at both the Centre and the state should be on the same page on Afzal and his hanging should not even be discussed since it was a Supreme Court decision. Jammu & Kashmir will hold assembly elections in 2014 and Afzal's hanging is fast becoming a rallying point and an emotive issue between the separatists and the mainstream parties. Omar was speaking on the return of mortal remains of Afzal. Revealing competitive populism on Afzal, Omar released his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking for the bodies of Afzal and Maqbool Bhat, JKLF's founder-member, hanged in 1984 and buried in Tihar Jail, to be returned. Political observers were quick to point out that Omar's letter was released after PDP le ader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed released his letter to PM seeking the return of Afzal's body. Mufti described Omar's suffixing "sahib" with Afzal as a political stunt. NC sources said Omar has decided not to contest elections from Ganderbal and would prefer Amira Kadal seat. Conventional wisdom has it that Amira Kadal is safe for the party as the separatists impose complete boycott of polls in Srinagar city which helps NC win. NC in Jammu, which is now under Devindar Singh Rana, the former political advisor to CM, has lost ground to the Congress in Jammu. NC has only one seat from Hindu-dominated Vijaypur but several seats from Muslim areas in border districts like Rajouri and Poonch. Congress may retain its position in Jammu given the absence of other strong parties. Jammu's 11-odd BJP MLAs are divided in the wake of corruption charges for voting in favour of NC in the MLC elections last year. Saffron infighting will help BJP. via Top Stories - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHeVWrbD-FuyRegxDd_7cmb_Y4-2g&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Omar-calls-Afzal-sahib-draws-flak-from-Congress/articleshow/19028186.cms

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