Srinagar, Aug 11 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir's opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) Thursday appealed for mercy to Afzal Guru, whose mercy petition has been sent to President Pratibha Patil by the union home ministry after recommending its rejection.

A statement issued by the party after its leaders met here with party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in chair said: "Taking into consideration the highly sensitive situation in the state which is trying to come to terms with huge material and humanitarian loss that it has suffered over the past two decades, the party feels that Guru's is a fit case for displaying compassion in broad national interest even as the party condemns strongly terrorism in any form".

The statement also said: "The punishment, if carried out, would only add to and not take away from the trust deficit between Jammu & Kashmir and rest of the country which the union cabinet itself has described as one of the two major reasons for the alienation of the people of the state".