Will give 100% for Kashmir peace: IGP CRPF

Srinagar, Dec 19: Giving credit to people for the decline in terrorism in Kashmir, Inspector General of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Ajay Kumar Yadav Tuesday said that they would give their 100 percent for maintaining peace in Kashmir.

“Decline in terrorism would not have been possible without the support of people, especially youth,” IG CRPF told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of a football tournament here.

He said that now they had the full support of people and youth.

“The voice of new Kashmir is being now seen in the fields, be it in cricket, football, or other sports,” he said. “The coming years and months will be better than today. We are hopeful that people will lend more support in eradicating terrorism from the soil here.”

Yadav said that the tournament aimed to keep the youth away from the rising drug menace and other ill activities.

Sixteen teams from central Kashmir including four from Srinagar downtown are participating in the tournament.

“This is Naya Kashmir and the youth are marching ahead,” the IG CRPF said.

He said that he was hopeful that many youth participating in this tournament would play for India in the future.

“We organised the tournament, especially keeping the youth in mind,” he said. “The aim is to engage the youth, provide them a path to live their lives in a better way, and provide an opportunity for them to play at the national level.”

Yadav said that they had promised to keep the youth engaged and that many good players would emerge out of the tournament.

He said that the CRPF was ready to provide security for elections in J&K.

“Besides CRPF is ready for any responsibility,” the senior CRPF officer said.

Earlier, addressing the gathering, Yadav highlighted the CRPF's commitment to engaging with the youth of Kashmir through sports activities.

“The objective of the CRPF Football Cup 2023 is to provide a platform for young talents to showcase their skills, excel in their careers, and potentially contribute to state and national-level teams, thereby bringing laurels to the country,” he said and reiterated the importance of the youth in shaping the future of society and delivered a strong call to action: ‘Say no to drugs.’

Organised by Srinagar Sector CRPF under the civic action programme and in collaboration with J&K Sports Council, the CRPF Football Cup 2023 aligns with the mission of ‘My Youth My Pride’, emphasising the empowerment and pride associated with youth engagement.

The inaugural match of the CRPF Football Cup 2023 delivered an exhilarating spectacle as Kashmir United secured victory with a 2-1 scoreline against Kashmir FA.

Young footballers Sadat and Junaid each contributed a goal for Kashmir United while Furqan was the lone scorer for Kashmir FA.

Sadat's exceptional skills on the field earned him the title of Player of the Match accompanied by a cash prize of Rs 2000.