NEW DELHI: The Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) and the All-India Committee Against Death Penalty have urged President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to consider sympathetically the mercy petition of Mohammad Afzal, facing execution in the Parliament House attack case, and commute his sentence.

In separate statements, they drew his attention to the growing consensusworldwide against the death penalty.

"Unjust"

The forum said a large section in Kashmir as well as human rights defenders, jurists and members of civil society in both India and abroad believed that the death sentence pronounced on Afzal to be "unjust." While the actual perpetrators of the attack were killed, the four who were brought to trial were not directly involved in carrying it out.

"PIPFPD expresses its deep concern at the possible impact of the execution under the current circumstances of doubts regarding the case against Afzal and calls for clemency from many quarters. The hanging of Afzal Guru would undoubtedly be a setback to the peace process and have negative impact on the gradual normalisation in the region."

The panel against the death penalty said that on moral grounds also the sentence should be commuted. The causes of violence and terror were inherent in the socio-economic and political system and without changing the system, violence and terrorist activities could not be stopped by hanging a few individuals.

"Arbitrary punishment"

The panel said 120 countries had abolished the death penalty either in law or in practice. It was an "inherently unjust and arbitrary punishment. Global studies suggest that death penalties are being awarded mostly to poor, less educated and marginalised sections In India, such punishments are being given to the landless, Dalits, backward classes and Muslims mainly," the panel said.

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