Death Penalty ???

The sentencing to death of Afzal for plotting and helping in the attack on Parliament has brought to surface the disconnect between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India.A divide also exists between those who support death penalty and those who are opposed to it.Politicians cutting across party lines have tried to make political capital out of the issue.While BJP and its allies have made it an issue of national pride ,other parties have thought it fit to play the muslim card.It is quite evident that both sides are on shallow grounds.
Death penalty is given in rarest of rare cases and the attack on Parliament definitely qualifies on this criteria.If Afzal is allowed to go scotfree ,it will set a very dangerous precedent.While there is a question mark on the investigations ,there is enough evidence to conclusively prove that Afzal was in regular touch with the attackers before the said incident took place.
Moreover the grounds on which amnesty is being sought are divisive to say the least.Religious or regional grounds cannot and should not be considered for granting amnesty to anybody .The kind of demonstrations and protests held across Kashmir in support of Afzal is a very disturbing development.Though the demonstrations are mostly the handiwork of militant outfits and a way to show resentment towards Central and stae government.The government has simply failed to bring the Kashmiris into the national mainstream.The plight of Kashmiri Pandits has received no attention at all over the years.The kind of ethnic cleansing that has taken place in Kashmir has no parallels.One cannot help but wonder are they the children of a lesser god ?
I think it would be better to sentence Afzal to life imprisonment (not 14 years,but for life)because hanging of Afzal has the potential of making a martyr out of a terrorist and fuelling the fire of secessionism in J&K all over again.