MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has at last granted Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) the status of a separate region, much to the delight of cricketers and fans of the game.

“It’s a dream come true for us,” former general secretary of the now-defunct AJK Cricket Association Tanvir Mughal said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

AJK’s Director General (DG) Sports Mansoor Qadir Dar and AJK Sports Writers’ Association president Saqib Abbasi, himself an active player, were also present on the occasion.

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Previously, AJK was treated as a unit of the Rawalpindi region which led to players from the region getting scant opportunities to prove their talent at national level.

However, Tanvir said that with AJK getting the status of an independent region — the 16th in the country, players from different age groups would now be able to directly represent their state in all national level events.

“At the moment, around 25-30 cricketers from AJK are playing first class cricket and that number is bound to increase in the future as the region’s status will throw open numerous opportunities for all talented youngsters to shine,” he said.

He told that players for the AJK region’s team would be drawn from the teams of its 5 units (districts) and the region’s central body (association) would also be elected by the units.

Tanvir said all cricket-loving youngsters were grateful to AJK minister for sports Salim Butt who had zealously taken up this issue with all concerned, ever since assuming the charge of ministry.

Speaking on the occasion, Dar expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also the PCB patron, PCB chairman Najam Sethi and Pakistan Sports Board officials for their support to AJK’s demand for region’s status.

“AJK had been vigorously fighting for this status and finally we have achieved it,” he said. “We feel proud in front of our players.”

To a question, he said that the elevation to the status of a region would not only help AJK groom local talent but also develop its cricket related infrastructure.

“We will get coaching staff and other officials from the PCB,” he claimed. “Apart from that, every year an academy for the under-19 team would also be held in Muzaffarabad.”

He added the AJK sports ministry had proposed a number of schemes for infrastructure development in the programme for the current year.

The ministry has also been persuading different government and semi-government departments as well as autonomous institutions, such as banks, to constitute their own teams to encourage players.

Published in Dawn, July 24th , 2014