Stand by Afzal Guru comment: Omar

Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah has said that he does not regret his comments over Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru's death sentence that have drawn him criticism from the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

Abdullah had sparked a controversy when he compared Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru's death sentence with that of Rajiv killers.

"If J&K assembly had passed a resolution similar to the Tamil Nadu one for Afzal Guru would the reaction have been as muted? I think not," Abdullah posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Mohammad Afzal, or Afzal Guru, was convicted of conspiracy in the Dec 2001 attack on Parliament and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in 2004. Six security personnel were killed in the attack along with five terrorists.

The sentence was scheduled to be carried out in 2006 itself, but Afzal was given a stay of execution and remains on death row after his wife filed a mercy petition for Presidential clemency.

Abdullah's tweet drew criticism from BJP who said it was 'irresponsible' for a chief minister to comment like this.

"Had a Hurriyat leader made such remarks it was understandable but a responsible chief minister should not have said so. At a time when the Supreme Court has already awarded the death sentence, raking up this debate is unfortunate," said BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain.

However, speaking to a national news channel, Abdullah has said that he stands by his comments, and reaction to his tweet was a reflection of the double standards the BJP had against Kashmir.