J&K walks on peace, prosperity

Sajad Lone

Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said that Jammu and Kashmir has started journey of peace and prosperity and youth have rejected the path of “bullets” and “grenades” who are overwhelmingly participating in positive activities like sports and other cultural programs.
The DGP was speaking on the opening ceremony of 71st B N Mullik Memorial All India Police Football Championship held at Bakshi Stadium Srinagar. The event was declared open jointly by Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh and Director IB, New Delhi Tapan Kumar Deka, who is also a Chairman of All India Police Sports Control Board, New Delhi.
“J&K is progressing towards peace and prosperity,” DGP Dilbagh Singh said and added that youth has rejected the path of “bullets” and “grenades” and are overwhelmingly participating in sports and cultural activities. He was, however, quick in cautioning the youth about the conspiracy of anti-peace elements and appealed to them to remain beware of these conspirators who motto is to disturb peaceful atmosphere of valley.
DGP said that Jammu and Kashmir Police has been organizing events across J&K throughout the year and added all events are witnessing massive participation of youth. He said that a few days ago, a Marathon “Run for Peace” was organized in Jammu in which around 4000 people of different age groups participated and added events like Pedal for Peace organized in Kashmir also saw huge involvement of people. He informed that after Covid19 pandemic era, around 70 thousand youth have participated in the events organized by J&K Police.
DGP said that Pakistan and its agencies have always remained hell-bent in disrupting peace in Jammu and Kashmir as they are not happy with the peace and development here. He said that it is time to strengthen peace further in J&K and advised the people especially youth to foil all conspiracies of inimical elements.
Referring to the target killing, DGP said that all the counter measures are in place to stop these attacks and also to hunt down remaining propagators of terrorism. He also said that infiltration bids have been stopped to a large extent, adding that infiltration chances rise more when snow is melting and all the arrangements are in place to stop these attempts.
“Pakistan is backing terrorism besides pushing narcotics, to raise funds for terror activities. However various modules have been busted and all investigation agencies including SIU, SIA along with NIA and Narcotics Control Bureau are working together to bust all such modules at every level especially those involving big cartels having interstate ramifications and connections,” DGP said.
Referring to the property attachment, he said that only those are being attached who after thorough investigation & probe, have been found involved in providing any kind of support to terrorism and added that action under law will be taken against all such persons.
DGP J&K, in his address, thanked Director IB for gracing the event and said that his presence in the opening ceremony has been a very encouraging factor for the participants. He said that Jammu and Kashmir Police has so far organized 14 events of this stature and this is the third occasion that All India Football Championship is being hosted by J&K Police and before this, J&K Police has also hosted its 49th and 66th editions. He further said that J&K Police has organized events in almost every sports category including hockey, water sports, golf etc.
While welcoming all the participating teams of the event, DGP said that besides fighting for the title, this is a great opportunity for the players to see and enjoy the nature and culture of this beautiful valley. Underling the similarities of football and good policing, DGP said that power, discipline and control is common and important for both to achieve the desired results.
Addressing the event, Director IB, New Delhi Tapan Kumar Deka said that it is indeed a matter of great privilege for him to witness the opening ceremony of the championship, for which he expressed his gratitude to DGP J&K and the Organizing Committee for the opportunity. He said that All India Police Sports Control Board organizes 40 events in 18 clusters across the country in a year in which 13000 Policemen sportspersons participate adding that it is a matter of great satisfaction that popularity and participation of these events has witnessed an exponential increase and has provided a platform to excel the performances due to which many Policemen now have won medals at National and International levels.
Paying tribute to B N Mullik, he said this Football championship is named after him as he was a great dynamic leader and a visionary. He congratulated J&K Police for conducting the event in a befitting manner. He said that J&K Police has remained on the forefront in protecting the sovereignty and integrity of the country. He said that this platform provides opportunities to different forces to interact, to share experiences and to strengthen personal as well as professional bonding. He advised participants to play the game with sportsman spirit and wished them good luck.
While speaking on the sidelines of the event, Director IB Tapan Kumar Deka said teams from all over the country have come to participate in the championship and their spirit is very high. He said that all the visiting teams will come to know about J&K and its lovely people living in a peaceful environment adding that this event will help in spreading the message of peace and love. He said sport is the best way for community building and large scale participation of youth, like today, will strengthen it further. He congratulated DGP J&K and his team for organizing this event and putting all the arrangements in a flawless manner.
In his welcome address ADGP Armed, J&K SJM Gillani welcomed all the dignitaries for gracing the event and said that hosting this prestigious event is a proud moment for J&K Police. He informed that a record number of 42 teams from across the country are participating in the championship which includes 34 men and 8 women teams. He said that football is quite popular in J&K and to promote it further, J&K Police is going to organize a mega sports event every year in Srinagar.