Afzal Guru hanging: Was the decision a political one?

Eleven years after the attack on Parliament, its main convict, Afzal Guru, was hanged today in Delhi's Tihar Jail this morning. He was awarded death penalty by the Supreme Court in 2004. While political parties have welcomed the hanging, the BJP has said the government must explain why it took eight years for the execution. Parties in Jammu and Kashmir are apprehensive about how the hanging will affect the ground situation in the state.