Srinagar: In India’s heaven Kashmir, where many project Militants like Burhan Wani as Valley’s hero, here is a piece of news they would choose to ignore.
Manzoor Ahmad Dar aka Manzoor Pandav is being hailed as Kashmir’s new hero and a youth icon where the young are being increasingly brainwashed by Pakistan proxies like Hurriyat’s Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Dar, a 24-year-old cricketer, hails from Suganpora Ganastan village in Kashmir’s Sumbal town. In the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, team Kings XI Punjab picked him up and he will be making his debut this year.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif had yesterday tweeted: “What a wonderful feeling it must be for Manzoor Dar to watch the celebrations.If instead of a gun,the youth pick up a bat,if instead of stones,the youth pick up a ball,the atmosphere in Kashmir will become beautiful.They need to be encouraged to play a sport & govt should support (sic).”
The message in Kaif’s tweet for Kashmir’s youth was clear: “Choose bat and ball over terror.”
Jammu and Kashmir Sports Minister Imran Raza Ansari has described Dar’s journey as a “story of rags to riches”.
“You see his Twitter account, you will see how many people have started following him. People see a ray of hope in him. If you are dedicated to a particular thing, you will be acknowledged, even if the recognition comes late,” Ansari said.
As per a report in The Indian Express, Dar hails from a poor family and had to drop out of school. Currently, he is employed as a private security guard at an automobile showroom in Srinagar.
Dar is the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir who has been picked to play in the immensely-popular Indian Premier League, which is organised during the months of April and May every year.
(Courtesy : http://www.timesnownews.com/india/video/manzoor-ahmad-dar-jammu-and-kashmir-terrorism-indian-premier-league-cricket-india-kings-xi-punjab-preity-zinta/194880)