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Afzal thanks almighty for his 'stature' in final letter
Continuing the fight for Afzal Guru's body, his family on Sunday released his final letter, which they claimed the Parliament attack convict wrote at 6.35am on February 9, an hour and 25 minutes before he was hanged at Tihar jail. Toufiq Rashid reports.
Continuing the fight for Afzal Guru's body, his family on Sunday released his final letter, which they claimed the Parliament attack convict wrote at 6.35am on February 9, an hour and 25 minutes before he was hanged at Tihar jail.
"I want to congratulate all the believers that we have always lived our life with truth and righteousness and our end has also been with truth and righteous," reads the unsigned letter.
Guru thanks almighty for giving him the "stature" he has achieved.
The family also released a signed covering letter, which accompanied Guru's last letter, by the superintendent of Jail No. 3 in Tihar jail.
Incidentally, the covering letter dated February 10 reached the family on February 12. But the key letter dated February 6, informing the family about his execution, had reached on February 11.
Jammu and Kashmir postmaster general had said delivery of the February 6 letter was delayed by curfew that was imposed following Guru's hanging. "It was curfew on February 9 and next day was Sunday. We delivered the letter on Monday."
Meanwhile, normal life in Kashmir was affected for the ninth consecutive day due to a strike called by the Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led hardline Hurriyat Conference following Guru's hanging.
After authorities lifted the curfew across the valley on Saturday, Geelani extended the strike by two days in support of the demand that Guru's body be handed over to his family.
Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs have backed Guru's family's demand for his body.
The police have arrested 53 persons from different districts on charges of throwing stones and creating trouble after Guru's hanging.
Independent legislator Sheikh Abdul Rashid aka Engineer Rashid has demanded renaming Lal Chowk, the valley's political landmark, after Guru.
(With inputs from Ashiq Hussain)
