SRINAGAR, Oct. 1
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat on Thursday said the growing participation of children and young people in sports and other constructive activities was helping channel their energy positively and contributing to the Union Territory’s movement towards peace, development and prosperity.
Prabhat was speaking at the flag-in ceremony of the Run for Unity marathon organised by Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Police Golf Course near Dal Lake in Srinagar.
Congratulating the participants, the DGP said the increasing turnout at the event each year was an encouraging indication of greater youth involvement in constructive activities.
He said sports provided young people with opportunities to use their energy positively while contributing to the creation of a more peaceful and prosperous environment in Jammu and Kashmir.
The DGP also said the Union Territory was moving towards peace and development despite what he described as continuing attempts from across the border to disrupt the region.
Jammu and Kashmir Police has increasingly used sporting events and youth engagement programmes alongside its conventional security responsibilities. Prabhat said the police, including the Armed Police, regularly organised tournaments and other activities intended to provide young people with constructive opportunities.
His remarks placed youth engagement alongside the force’s wider security and social responsibilities, including its campaign against narcotics.
Prabhat said thousands of cases had been registered and arrests made as part of the police’s anti-drug campaign. Properties associated with narcotics-related activities had also been attached.
Drug abuse has emerged as a major concern for law enforcement and communities in Jammu and Kashmir, making youth engagement and the anti-narcotics campaign closely connected elements of the police’s outreach efforts.
Sports can provide structured environments for young people, but Prabhat’s remarks did not present sporting activity as a substitute for law enforcement. Instead, he described youth programmes and policing measures as complementary parts of the effort to build a safer environment.
The DGP also addressed the security situation, saying counter-terrorism operations were continuing across Jammu and Kashmir.
He described September as a significant month for the police in terms of operational activity, although he did not provide specific figures for counter-terrorism operations during his remarks at the event.
Prabhat’s comments therefore linked three areas of police activity: counter-terrorism operations against security threats, enforcement against narcotics networks and preventive engagement with young people through sports and other constructive activities.
The DGP also highlighted the role played by Jammu and Kashmir Police during the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.
He said the force remained at the forefront of security arrangements for the pilgrimage, with Armed Police personnel also deployed to support its safe conduct.
Mountain rescue capabilities formed another part of that deployment.
Prabhat said 19 mountain rescue teams had been positioned during the pilgrimage, reflecting the additional challenges posed by difficult terrain and changing weather conditions along the routes used by pilgrims.
He also referred to the recent disruption of the Gulmarg Gondola, where stranded passengers had to be evacuated.
Jammu and Kashmir Police, the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies worked together to evacuate those stranded in a short period, he said.
Prabhat congratulated the Additional Director General of Police, Armed Police, and personnel involved in the rescue operation and other activities carried out by the force.
The remarks highlighted the expanding range of responsibilities handled by police personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, extending from counter-terrorism and crime prevention to pilgrimage security, disaster response, rescue operations and community engagement.
The Run for Unity event itself represents the outreach side of that broader role.
By organising sporting competitions and activities, police authorities are seeking to create more opportunities for direct engagement with young people outside the traditional law-enforcement setting.
Prabhat said the increasing participation seen in such programmes was particularly encouraging.
For Jammu and Kashmir Police, the objective is to continue expanding opportunities that draw young people towards sports and constructive pursuits while simultaneously maintaining pressure on terrorism, narcotics trafficking and other security challenges.
The DGP said the police would continue such initiatives as part of its contribution towards a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir.
His message at the Srinagar event was centred on the role young people can play in that transition: greater participation in sports and constructive activities, he said, is helping direct their energies towards a future built around peace and development.
