 |
|
"He (Kasi) is a martyr. His smiling face is still in front of me," Naseebullah lamented
|
JARRATT,
Virginia, November 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistani
national Mir Aimal Kasi was executed late Thursday, November 14, by
lethal injection for the alleged murder of two CIA employees, a
Virginia state prison spokesman said, as Washington braced for
possible reprisals.
Kasi
was pronounced dead at
9:07 pm
(0207 GMT Friday) at
Greensville
Correctional
Center
, said Larry Traylor, spokesman for the state Department of
Corrections, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
In
Quetta
, Kasi's brother hailed him as a martyr, hours after his execution, as
paramilitary troops patrolled his home city amid fears of reprisals.
"He
is a martyr. His smiling face is still in front of me,"
Naseebullah Kasi, told AFP, as he expressed shock that the execution
went ahead.
"It
was coming and I had little hope that the Supreme Court would stay his
execution, but still the news was shocking," he said.
Kasi,
38, comes from a powerful tribe in
Pakistan
' south-west desert
province
of
Baluchistan
. His family lives in the provincial capital
Quetta
.
Kasi
tribesmen and
Quetta
community leaders poured into the family home Friday morning to
console his relatives, said a cousin who asked not to be named.
Police
and paramilitary troops were patrolling
Quetta
, which has been rocked by almost daily protests this week in the
lead-up to the execution.
Baluchistan
police Chief Shoaib Suddle said so far the city was calm.
"We
are on high alert, but so far the city is peaceful," Suddle told
AFP, adding that there may be protests after the Friday prayers.
Local
newspapers meanwhile called for a strike in protest at Kasi's
execution.
Hundreds
of police and paramilitary troops were also patrolling the volatile
city of southern
Karachi
.
Already
tight police guards have been reinforced around the diplomatic
enclaves and police were stopping and searching vehicles for
explosives.
Police
chief of southern Sindh province, Syed Kamal Shah, said the city's
forces were on alert.
"We
are on alert and have taken all preventive measures," he said.
The
U.S.
last week issued a worldwide alert warning of a potential backlash
especially against
U.S.
interests overseas.
U.S.
citizens in
Pakistan
have been ordered to be extra-cautious by their Embassy, but the
Embassy itself and consulates in
Karachi
and
Peshawar
were open as usual Friday morning, and the visa center was serving
long queues of applicants at the Embassy building in
Islamabad
.
The
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party, part of the Islamic alliance which
holds the balance of power in the national parliament, condemned the
execution.
"It
will not help the international war against terrorism," the
party's chief and one of two prime ministerial candidates, Maulana
Fazlur Rehman, told AFP.
Rehman
criticized Kasi's capture in
Pakistan
in 1997 by U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.
had
returned to
Pakistan
immediately after the double murder and was caught four years later in
a hotel near
Multan
.
He
was taken back to the
U.S.
for trial without undergoing formal extradition.
Rehman
said his capture and removal to the
U.S.
was "direct interference in our internal affairs."
"If
he had done any crime he should have been tried and punished
here," he said.
Kasi
-- dressed in a blue prison shirt, blue jeans and flip flops, his
hands and feet chained -- appeared nervous, his breathing a little
labored, as the execution took place, Traylor said.
"Accompanied
by his spiritual adviser, Mohammad Saeed an imam from northern
Virginia, he had a brief 15- or 20-second conversation and then
continued to chant in his native tongue until asked what his final
words were, which were, 'There is no God but Allah'," Traylor
added.
"He
continued to chant until the first drug took effect and then he fell
into silence."
Virginia
Governor Mark Warner earlier refused Kasi's request for clemency after
the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute appeal for a stay of
execution.
Kasi's
family and the Pakistani government had asked for his life to be
spared and his sentence commuted on humanitarian grounds.
Armed
patrols circled the low white prison buildings and gunmen surveyed the
scene from watchtowers.
"This
is a criminal justice matter, and the decision of the jury is being
carried out," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
On
his last day, Kasi was visited by two of his brothers living in the
United States
.
He
ate his last Halal meal of rice, toast, boiled eggs and fruit with a
prayer, Traylor said.
Outside
the prison some 85 anti-death penalty protesters gathered for a vigil.
Among
them was Kasi's pen pal of three years, Ann McBride, a teacher at the
National Zoo.
"He
was sad," said McBride, who met Kasi only two weeks before.
"He didn't want to die."
"He
asked me once: Do you think I'm a terrorist? He didn't consider
himself a terrorist," she said.
A
prayer was offered for Kasi by Imam Atiyyah Mohammed of the Petersburg
Islamic Center.
|
|
Iraq:
- First U.N. Weapons Inspections in Iraq Nov 27: Blix
- Straw Blames British Imperialism for Middle East Woes
- Iraq Ready for Inspectors, Skeptical Washington Waylays
- Iraqi Opposition Delays Anti-Saddam Meet For “Technical Reasons”
- Iraqi Press Snubs MPs’ Rejection of U.N. Resolution 1441
Ramadan
-
New Muslims Enjoy Peace, Serenity
of Ramadan Fast
-
Ramadan in Malaysia Good for Business
-
“Sharon” Dates &
“Intifada” Ramadan Lamps in Egypt
-
Muslims Need Strong Soup to
Survive Fasting in Cold Russia
- Thousands At Mashhur's Funeral Amid Tight Security
- Indian Poll Panel Stops Anti-Muslim "Pride March"
- Snowy Taraweeh for Muslims in Sweden
- Sezer to Name PM Shortly, Says Erdogan
- Hu Becomes China's New Chief, Surrounded By Jiang Allies
- U.S. Executes Kasi for Killing CIA Agents, Brother Hails Him Martyr
- Indonesians Indirect Victims of Terrorism: Analysts
- Kremlin Imposes Restrictions On Anti-Terrorist Media Coverage
- Horse Trading Continues in Pakistan for Forming A Government
-
U.S. Nationality
Halal, Boycotting Jewish Products Obligatory: Tantawi
-
Pentagon Plans A
Computer System to Peek at Personal Data
-
50% of Britons
Believe Blair is Bush's Lapdog: Poll
-
Muslim Brotherhood
Guide-General Passes Away
-
Palestine:
- 11 Israeli Settlers, Soldiers Killed, 15 Wounded in A Resistance Attack
- Israel Slays Palestinian Children: New York Times
- Fatah Says It Approves Ceasefire Plan, Hamas Denies
- Israel Kills Two Palestinians, Abducts 35 in Nablus
- Sharon Considers Palestinian State An Established Fact
- Palestinian Baby Killed by
Israeli Tank Fire in Rafah
- Resistance, Unity Basis to End
Occupation: Fatah, Hamas
-
Chechen
War Reaches Moscow
-
World
Wide War
-
Invasion
into Gaza
-
Arafat
HQ Destroyed… In Pictures
-
Homeless in Minutes
-
War on Iraq.. World Reaction
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
