‘Drug smuggling from Pakistan funding terror’: LG warns of ‘surgical strike’

Accusing Pakistan of waging a covert war through narcotics, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said decades of cross-border drug smuggling into Jammu and Kashmir have been aimed at financing terrorism and crippling the region’s youth.

Addressing a public gathering in Ramban under the Drug-Free Jammu Kashmir campaign, he vowed an uncompromising crackdown, declaring that every drug hotspot will be identified and targeted “like a surgical strike,” with the entire smuggling network set to be dismantled.

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Intensifying the crusade against drug menace, the Lieutenant Governor led the Padyatra from District Police Line to District Administrative Complex, Ramban. He was joined by public representatives, senior officials of civil and police administration; civil society members, religious leaders, members of business and trade community; ex-servicemen; prominent citizens, various stakeholders, women, students, youth, and people from different walks of life in large number, who were gathered with resolve to eradicate drug addiction at its roots, transform the society, and secure our youth’s future, he said.

Addressing a massive gathering, the Lieutenant Governor highlighted society’s role in fighting against drug menace and called for collective action. “If the neighbour’s house is on fire, yours is not safe. Because drugs don’t spread like flames but they spread like wind. That’s why a ‘Whole of Society’ response is our only real and potent weapon against drug menace.

“I firmly believe when society stands united behind a cause, the law becomes a thousand times stronger. We must build a society where the dealer fears law, and the one who breaks free from drugs feels proud of themselves, their family, their society, and their government,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

“This fight belongs to mothers and sisters, elders, youth, teachers, panchayats, athletes, and elected representatives alike. It is not the job of just one department. Defeating addiction is our collective responsibility,” he said.

The Lieutenant Governor called upon every Panchayat and Ward to form women’s vigilance committees. “Women are the frontline of this war. You know where the household money goes. If anyone in the family shows symptoms of addiction, don’t hide it. Don’t call him a criminal. Call him a patient. But that patient needs society’s help, not just four walls,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor emphasised that each drug de-addiction centre must be genuine and equipped with all necessary resources. “Strict monitoring of these centres is essential. If any centre is found operating illegally or causing harm to society and the youth, it must be shut down within 24 hours without any hesitation, irrespective of how influential the individual running it. No one should be spared. Action is already underway against all such centres”, he said.