The Hindu : Front Page : Afzal kin meet Kalam

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Friday, Oct 06, 2006
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Afzal kin meet Kalam

Staff Reporter

PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

PLEA FOR CLEMENCY: Family members of Mohammad Afzal, who is facing the death penalty in the Parliament attack case, - (from left) son Ghalib, wife Tabassum and mother Ayesha Begum - coming out of the Rashtrapati Bhawan after meeting President Kalam on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: The family of Mohammed Afzal, who has been sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case, met President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday and urged him to show mercy.

Afzal's execution was fixed for October 20 but it got "automatically stayed," with the family filing a mercy petition with Mr. Kalam on Tuesday.

At the meeting, Afzal's mother Ayesha Begum, his wife Tabassum, son Ghalib and lawyers Nandita Haksar and N.D. Pancholi were present.

"He assured us that he will go through the mercy petition," said Tabassum. She expressed the hope that her husband would get justice.

Ms. Haksar said: "Tabassum told the President that Ghalib came to know through his schoolmates that his father was going to be hanged. He returned home and tried to hang himself from the ceiling fan using a rope. When she asked him what he was doing, he said he wanted to feel what his father would undergo while being hanged."

"The President asked Ghalib what his future plans are. He said he wants to become a doctor but it can happen only if his father is alive," said Ms. Haksar.

"The family feels that it had got a fair hearing but is now anxiously awaiting the President's verdict," said Mr. Pancholi.

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