By Sayyed Atif Rizvi
As usual, after waking up, I took the newspaper, and I was completely shocked after seeing front page news of leading newspaper The Indian Express: HANGMAN WAITS FOR YAKUB MEMON
For a few moments, I was still, when I got my senses back, the only thing running in my mind was that I am a citizen of the biggest democracy of the world and here the countrymen are protesting to support this man’s mercy plea from past few days!!!
Anyways, after getting my cup of tea, I thought that I am too young, immature and ignorant to comment on such a serious issue so I decided to go through articles rolled out in different newspapers in past few days and to collect expert’s comments on the issue.
At first, an article published on the site of TOI on July 24 at 04:08 pm IST caught my attention. It was about the essay written by former R&AW officer and prominent strategic affairs expert the late B Raman. He played a very important role in bringing Yakub Memon back from Pakistan. He wrote this essay in 2007, days after the court handed out death penalty to Yakub Memon.
Raman is the man who helped in bringing Yakub back. So his statement should be taken seriously and should be considered also. Yakub Memon returned to India in exchange of “iron clad guarantee that he wouldn’t be handed death sentence if he helped Indian agencies in nailing Pakistan’t role in the blasts’. He handed to Indian investigators, documents, videos, photographs, passports, etc. that proved the role of ISI in carrying out the serial blasts in Mumbai.
“HE DEFINITELY HAD AN ASSURANCE FROM US AND THAT IS WHY HE VOLUNTARILY CAME TO KATHMANDU, HANDED OVER SO MUCH DATA AND DETAILS TO US. WE HAVE BETRAYED HIM,” said one former R&AW officer, who with Raman and few others, had played a key role in Memon’s return to India.
“W E H A V E B E T R A Y E D H I M,” these words forced me to think.
We call Gandhiji, the father of our nation. In fact we are not betraying Memon but we are betraying ourselves, we are betraying our own father, we are betraying Gandhiji’s principles.
Yakub Memon didn’t have any direct involvement in serial blasts. I am not saying he was innocent, my point is, he had a change of heart, he actively cooperated with Indian agencies. That’s why he should be given a chance.
This judgment closes all the doors for those who want to be human again, who want to leave the illegal activities. Now why will any terrorist or a convict surrender ?? Why ?? No, no one will surrender or cooperate, because now they know that if they do so, they will be the next Yakub.
(Sayyad Atif Rizvi, a resident of Abul Fazal Enclave, Delhi, is a class XII student.)