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‘Goal’ amid tension

Happy events are seldom reported from the Kashmir Valley, least of all from areas in some proximity to the ever-simmering…

‘Goal’ amid tension

(Photo: Facebook)

Happy events are seldom reported from the Kashmir Valley, least of all from areas in some proximity to the ever-simmering Line of Control where the sound of small arms fire and the “whirr” and bangs of mortars provide the background music. Hence there was cause for pure delight when the air was filled by the cheers of an estimated 20,000 people who had congregated to watch a football match played on the Baki Aber ground in Rajwar in the remote Bangus Valley in the Kupwara tehsil ~ an area often in the news for attempts at infiltration by militants.

The occasion was the final of the Bangus Valley Soccer Tournament and pitted Muhammaden Sports of Sopore against SW Ashkura of Baramulla. The District Football Association of Handwara had arranged for the temporary installation of floodlights with portable generator sets, to give the game the atmosphere of a top class match. From early in the afternoon people had been collecting at the field: they travelled in cars, trucks, buses, or simply walked.

The “fans” were of all ages, some were young children, others were senior citizens ~ and, this is hardly believable given “normal conditions in the region, no special security arrangements were deemed necessary. Had a message been sent out to both militants and their mentors across the border? Nobody opted to answer that query but there was no violence or disruption during the match. It matters little who won the game played on 16 September ~ a “goal” had been scored for peace andgoodwill.

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Sport has flourished in J&K despite the “difficult” conditions that prevail, but much of it is confined to the urban centres. The gathering at Rajwar points to the love of sport having penetrated into remote areas, which offers much opportunity for changing the customary narrative of violence.

The Army, which continues with its exercise to win over hearts and minds (even though with less fanfare than when the ‘sadhbhavna’ mission was getting high priority) has its own passion for sport ~ maybe football could work wonders: “local” fields could be cleared, makeshift goal-posts erected. We now have an energetic minister for sport with a military background, perhaps he could influence his former colleagues in uniform to experiment with a new brand of goodwill earning.

That apart, the event brought Rajwar and the Bangus Valley into public attention ~ the region is said to have considerable potential for tourism development with its grassy meadows and colourful blooms. The short point being that there is more to project from the Valley than stone-throwing, fidayeen strikes, shutdowns and stone-throwing schoolgirls.

The state government must make concerted efforts to have the headlines re-written ~ a football game could set that ball rolling.

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