KL Report
Srinagar
Noted lawyers, N D Pancholi and Nandita Haskar, who were representing family of recently executed 2001 parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, have withdrawn as counsel’s to the family.
In a statement issued to local news agency KNS, the lawyers termed ‘unseemly controversies’ as the reason for withdrawing as counsels to the family.
“We don not belong to any political party and are critical of their stand on their Kashmir issue. However, we believe in engagement with the institutions and working through them as there is no alternative but to do so”, the lawyers said in the joint statement issued from New Delhi.
“Now there have arisen unseemly controversies and we do not wish to be a part of these discussions. We also do not want to distract from the main issues on which we make our stand absolutely clear”, they added.
They said the family of Afzal had contacted them soon after his execution for assistance. They said they had also arranged for accommodation and security of the family at New Delhi through the local Member Parliament.
“In accordance with the wishes of the family members we have asked the authorities for permission to visit Afzal’s grave; later for his belongings and also for his body”, the statement reads.
“We feel that all our efforts to build bridges between Indian people and Kashmiris are constantly undermined by Indian authorities, who condemn our efforts as anti-nation and in Kashmir some political groups view efforts of solidarity with suspicion,” read their joint statement.
