Amir Banday
The drug menace has been a cause of concern for the entire Jammu and Kashmir region; the addiction to drugs has increased tremendously with the onset of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, and the worst impacted is the Valley of Kashmir. The abuse of several drugs is a matter of concern for both the public and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. It has been dubbed as the killer of the present and future of the youth. Kashmir is among the hotspots of drug addiction in the world.
The sources of drug addiction and also the Narco terror had remained almost untouched in the previous Governments of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Neither drug addiction sources were being touched nor the chain of drug peddlers destroying the future of our youth.
On 5 August 2019 with the abrogation of article 370 the new system of government and complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country took place, with its new advent and fresh approach to crushing the drug menace.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir with the full force of its dynamic law enforcement is going after the circuit of drug peddling now. From Srinagar in Central Kashmir to North Kashmir to South Kashmir on daily basis, we are hearing arrest of drug peddlers. The narco terror from across the border is also crushed with the full force of law. The masses of Jammu and Kashmir are delighted over the series of actions taken by the Union Territory Government of Jammu and Kashmir in its war against the drug addiction menace. Although people urge the Government and also opine freely that more needs to be done as the gravity of the problem is much deep and serious.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government throughout the length and breadth of Jammu and Kashmir is organizing awareness programs like seminars, debates, and symposiums in the educational institutions to aware the youth especially the vast student community over the menace of drug addiction in Jammu and Kashmir. To aware, the public at large rallies and marathons are conducted on the large scale to keep the masses aware of the hydra headed monster of drug addiction.
Just a few days back, a massive success, the Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a narco terror module by arresting three persons and also recovered heroin worth Rs 24 crores from their possession. Cash of approximately Rs 11 lakh was also recovered from the arrested drug traffickers who belong to the Amritsar district of Punjab.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu Mukesh Singh has not ruled out the possibility huge quantity of drugs – recovered from the accused, were dropped from across the border through drones.
Some weeks back, The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir conducted raids at multiple locations in Baramulla district as part of its investigation into narco financing of terror activities in the Union territory, officials said.
Scores of notorious drug peddlers have been arrested in successful operations of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. Some days before, in another major action against drug peddlers, Kupwara Police has arrested six persons involved in the peddling of narcotics in two separate cases in the district.
During one week itself, a total of nine arrests of drug peddlers have been made in the last one week in five different cases of Police Stations of Kupwara, Kralpora, and Karnah across the district.
Similarly, a war against drug peddlers is on against the drug peddlers in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The society elders and the Government have made it clear that overall introspection at the level of society is also needed to crush the drug menace. Even female drug peddlers are being arrested which is a shame for us as a society.
Just a few weeks back in an unbelievable case in the once pious valley of Kashmir the north Kashmir area and in the district of Knowledge the Baramulla, police arrested a notorious female drug peddler in the Wagoora area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district and seized 250 gram of charas like substance from her possession.
A police official said that on a routine Naka checking, a team from police station Kreeri led by Khalid Ashraf-JKPS, SDPO Kreeri assisted by Inspector Mohd Arif, SHO PS Kreeri, and SI Nazir Ahmad, IC PP Wagoora, arrested one female drug peddler Bilkeesa Akhter, wife of Abdul Rehman Malik alias Military, a resident of Kalantra Payeen, District Baramulla.
One major fact although a big worry for both the Government and the masses is that survey conducted by the Union Territory administration has brought to fore sensational revelations about rampant drug abuse in the Kashmir Valley, where over 25.2 percent of unemployed youth are found involved in substance abuse.
The facts although still worrying related to drug addiction but the war of Jammu and the Kashmir Government against the sources of drug addiction is being lauded, with masses saying they are ready to help in every regard to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
