Moderate Hurriyat had no feelings for Afzal Guru

Geelani called protests helped in delaying hanging
Srinagar: It is ironical to note that even as MLA Abdur Rashid has moved a resolution in Assembly seeking clemency for alleged
Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, the leaked US cables from WikiLeaks have revealed that protests called by Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani in Kashmir prompted the then J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to seek Indian president’s intervention in atleast delaying the decision on Afzal’s mercy petition.
It further said the moderate Hurriyat leaders do not feel strongly that India should pardon Afzal. It is stated that moderate Hurriyat Conference leaders were privately in favor of hanging Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru if he was guilty but felt that he did not get adequate representation during parts of his trial, leaked US diplomatic cables have claimed.
In a classified cable dated October 20, 2006 titled “Kashmir: Pending Execution Causing Strife For Congress “and sub-titled as “How Does this Warrant a Death Sentence? Meeting a Violent End”, the US’s New Delhi embassy officials inform US State Department that faction of the Hurriyat Conference comments on Afzal Guru Hanging do not reflect the beliefs of many Kashmiri separatist leaders in the Valley.
It is pertinent to mention here that during that period David Mulfered was the US envoy to India.
The assessment appears to have been prepared by the US Embassy diplomats in the backdrop of the protest in Kashmir when the Indian Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for Mohammad Afzal Guru and the subsequent decision of Indian President wherein he postponed indefinitely execution of Guru until the Home Ministry puts forward a recommendation for or against clemency.
However, moderate Hurriyat leaders, as per the Wikileaks cables, spoke a different language when meeting US officials as compared to their publicly held views on the issue.
“Hurriyat (M) leader Bilal Lone, whose father Abdul Ghani Lone was killed gunmen in 2002, told candidly that his faction was remaining as quiet as possible about the issue because they do not feel strongly that India should pardon Afzal”, a cable which originated from America’s New Delhi embassy quotes Bilal Gani as having told the US officials.
“While they were concerned that Afzal did not have adequate representation during parts of his trial, privately they say that he should be executed if he is guilty. If someone is a terrorist, he should meet a violent end.” the US cables quote Bilal Lone as having told the US embassy officials.