Riyaz ul Khaliq
AWANTIPORA
Eminent economist and PDP leader Dr Haseeb Drabu Sunday said that the state should declare coming year as the ‘Year of the Youth’.
Drabu, who is PDP’s Rajpora Constituency candidate for the upcoming state assembly elections, said that we need lot of activity for the youth. “Youth have been at the receiving end of the all crimes of social, political and economic hardships,” he said while addressing the award ceremony function of 18th All India Twenty-20 Cricket Federation Cup 2014 at Awantipora.
He said that the state needs to restore the confidence in the youth. “They should be able to compete; not only compete but also win ‘in the field’ and ‘off the field’ as well,” Drabu said.
“We have gone through turmoil in the last twenty years and these steps (organizing such tournaments) are the ways in which we can interact and share bonding,” Drabu said.
Drabu said that Kashmir has huge talent and what the state needs to do is to declare the coming year as the Year of the Youth. “We need to nurture the talent of our youth.”
“I would not talk about PDP here but what I feel is that we need to encourage sports at a major level,” he said adding, “It should be a part of the youth policy.”
Drabu also said that he would personally influence corporate sector of India to invest in sports in Kashmir. He was accompanied by PDP Youth Wing President Wahid-Ur-Rehman Para, PDP South Kashmir Leader Muhammad Ashraf Mir, Dr Syed Muzammil Andrabi and Media Advisor Junaid Loan who were guests of Honour on the occasion.
On the occasion, Drabu felicitated the winning team of the tournament – “Mantaqi Sports” from J&K. A cash prize of Rs 31000 was given to the title holders of 18th All India Twenty-20 Cricket Federation Cup 2014 while Rs 21000 was awarded to Runner Up Team.
Pertinently, the tournament was organized by J&K state Twenty-20 Cricket Association and 16 cricket teams from across India were participating in the tournament which started on August 22. The matches were played in South Kashmir.
The Organizing Secretary of the tournament Syed Mohsin Andrabi said that they have been organizing such events since 2009.
“To give an opportunity to the cricket loving players of our valley we are holding such tournaments,” Mohsin said.
