‘Kashmir is close to heart’: Shahid Afridi vows to support KPL in every capacity

• Kashmir Committee Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi has launched the Kashmir Premier League.

• Shahid Afridi said that he is honoured to be the brand ambassador of the league.
  

• It is the first premier cricket tournament of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi has expressed his full support to Kashmir Premier League (KPL) and said that he is honoured to be the brand ambassador of the league.

“Kashmir is close to my heart and I would love to support the league in whatever capacity I am asked to,” the acclaimed Pakistani all-rounder said, adding that he had visited Kashmir and was mesmerised by the beauty of the area which was justified in being called as ‘paradise on earth.’

He said further said that throughout his cricketing career, he had played for many teams but he would love to play for the KPL which would provide him an opportunity to return his love he gets from the people of Kashmir.

Kashmir Committee Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Saturday launched the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) as the first premier cricket tournament of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The chairman vowed to initiate a series of cultural and sports events to raise the voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir globally.

Flanked by President Azad Jammu & Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan, Shahid Afridi, KPL Chief Coach Azhar Mahmood, President KPL Arif Malik and Shehzad Akhtar Chaudhry KPL CEO, Shehryar Afridi said that KPL would help put Kashmir on the World Sports Map.

“KPL would put Kashmir on the World Sports Map. We will raise Kashmir on all forums the world over. Kashmir Committee would do everything to preserve, project, and promote Kashmiri identity and its culture. ‘K’ word is the buzz word now,” he said.

He said the Kashmir Premier League has been approved by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the federal government and it has the support of the people of Kashmir and Pakistan.

Pakistani cricketers have become the identity of our country. He said that sports help bring people closer, he added.

“The talent of Kashmiri youth will reach the world through this league. The youth of Kashmir have to show the world how much talent it possessed,” he added.

He said that after the launch of the KPL, its second edition would feature women KPL which would provide a chance to the girls of Kashmir to come forward and play cricket, adding that the KPL logo ‘play with freedom’ will resonate around the world and Pakistan will keep highlighting Kashmir at forums around the world.

Shehryar Afridi also announced to appoint AJK President as Chief Patron of the KPL.

On this occasion, AJK President Masood Khan said that the government and peoples of AJK would fully own and support the KPL which would provide an opportunity to the Kashmiri youth to showcase their talent through sports.

It was a great feeling to see Shehryar Afridi supporting Kashmir at all levels, he shared, adding that he would leave no stone unturned to make it a success.

He said that the Kashmiri people have always loved cricket and the KPL would go a long way to project Kashmir globally. He said that the Kashmiri Diaspora would also support the KPL in a big way and it would largely help in projecting Kashmir and its people.