E-Paper
Pak trip becomes bone of contention
In 1988, Afzal Guru went to Pakistan for training in arms and ammunition, says Guru’s confessional statement that later became a bone of contention between the prosecution and defence lawyers on the issue of admissibility, Rajesh Ahuja reports.
Born in 1969, Mohammad Afzal Guru completed his early studies in Sopore’s government school and took admission in MBBS in Jhelum Valley College of Medical Sciences.
In 1988, he went to Pakistan for training in arms and ammunition, says Guru’s confessional statement that later became a bone of contention between the prosecution and defence lawyers on the issue of admissibility.
Guru claimed he returned to India with instructions to destroy communications networks but the security forces were tipped off about his arrival. Therefore, he ran away to Delhi with his cousin Shaukat Hussain Guru, who later became his co-accused in the attack case.
Under pressure from his family, in 1993-94 he surrendered before the BSF and returned to Delhi where he worked till 1996. He went back to Sopore where he worked as commission agent for medical goods.
But he did not stay away from militant activities for long. He met a person named Tariq, a Jaish-e-Mohammad operative. Tariq took him to Ghazi Baba, top Jaish operative in Kashmir, who asked him to arrange for a hideout for fidayeens, claimed Guru’s statement.
In October 2001, he allegedly called Shaukat and asked him to arrange accommodation for himself and Mohammad -- the suicide attacker who died inside in Parliament. He also confessed about bringing in other suicide attackers also.
Later, Afzal denied most of things he allegedly confessed. He claimed that special task force of the Jammu Kashmir police introduced him to Mohammad, the suicide attacker. The Supreme Court too declined to accept it as evidence while confirming his death sentence.
