If the decisions to hang Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru within less than three months of each are considered within the context of keeping political opposition and declining public sentiment at bay - Afzal's hanging seems to be timed with these intentions. The way the hanging was carried out, in guilt-shrouded secrecy, might be manipulated by politicians in J&K - especially as evidence against Guru was not rock solid. Was the decision to hang Afzal Guru politically motivated?