Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that the government is making efforts to eradicate the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir and working with the firm intention to establish peace.
Paying tributes to the legendary Kashmiri poet and freedom fighter Sarwanand Koul Premi on his death anniversary, Sinha said “We have got success to an extent in destroying the terror ecosystem” that has inflicted a deep wound not only on Jammu and Kashmir but the entire country.
“I can say one thing with confidence that we have no intention to buy peace. But we are working with the intention to establish peace in Jammu and Kashmir”, he said.
“It is not the wound inflicted on Jammu and Kashmir but on the entire India. Efforts are being made to eradicate terrorism and the terror ecosystem. To what extent we have been successful, I cannot say,” Sinha said.
There are people who have “infiltrated the ecosystem of governance from here to Delhi during the past 75 years”. “But the situation has changed. Those people who watch Jammu and Kashmir, also agree on this,” the L-G said.
Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir will gain back its glory. “It is not only important for Jammu and Kashmir but for the whole of India.”
Remembering Sarwanand Koul Premi, the L-G said that he was a towering man of ideas and ideals. He was undoubtedly one of the greatest writers of his time with deep commitment for upliftment of the downtrodden and weaker sections of society.
“Sarwanand made great contributions to the freedom struggle and infused new life in the bonds of our national unity. Throughout his life, he followed the universal and eternal values of peace, co-existence and cooperation,” the L-G said.
Jammu Kashmir is called heaven on earth, not only because of its scenic beauty, but also for great personalities such as Sarwanand Koul, who dedicated his life to serve the others, he said.
Sinha also asked the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages to promote the literary works of Sarwanand Koul Premi by publication and translation of his books. “This should be taken up on priority. There will be no shortage of funds,” the L-G said.
Sarwanand Koul was conferred with the lifetime achievement award posthumously by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in 2022. A higher secondary school in his village Sof-Shali (Saft-Shaleshwar) in Anantnag was also named after him in that year.
His name was also included in the list of ‘Unsung Heroes of the Freedom Movement’ under the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav and a special postal cover and stamp on him was released by the Ministry of Communication in 2021.