Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, criticized the execution of Afzal Guru, convicted for the 2001 Parliament attack, stating it 'served no purpose' and that the J&K government would not have approved it. Abdullah reiterated his opposition to capital punishment, citing the potential fallibility of judicial systems. This stance has sparked political backlash, with BJP leaders asserting that Guru's execution was necessary for justice. Abdullah also discussed historical precedents in negotiating with terrorists, referencing the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Syed and the 1999 IC814 hijacking. The Congress, allied with Abdullah's National Conference for the upcoming J&K elections, distanced itself from his comments. The elections, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, are scheduled to begin on September 18.