Iqball Ahmed
After scrapping Article 370 and 35A, the Indian state has worked proactively to choke cross border funding channels. The reason is that these funds were pumped into the valley to fuel unrest and to boost terrorism in Kashmir.
The choking of funding channels ended the activities of the terror ecosystem in Kashmir that favoured the interests of Pakistan.
Pakistan Uses Narcotics Revenue To Pump Up Terror
The pandemic which hit the world not only resulted in the loss of lives. It made the drift in the youth towards drugs more intense. Unemployment induced depression in youth of Kashmir. Our neighbouring country used this time to further push our youth towards drugs and intensified narco terrorism here.
Pakistan has two main advantages of supplying drugs in Kashmir.
1. Generate revenue which it uses for incentivizing terror activities.
2. To make the depressed Kashmiri youth addicted towards drugs.
The Revenue generated by the illegal sale of drugs is given to hybrid militants to carry attacks on the innocent civilians or unarmed security personals. Kashmir has witnessed target killings from last two years.
How Hybrid Militants Operate
The OGWs of the militants used funds generated from narcotics sale to create more and more hybrid militants. The hybrid militant is a common man, He has no militant tag.
Society Must Address Problem Of Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a serious issue and needs to be addressed. If the society decides to fight drug menace, it can be achieved. For instance, call for the social boycott to that person uses drugs. Hold drug awareness camps. Ensure speeches on illegality and dangers of drug abuse by Molvis in local Masjids during Friday sermons. Conduct free behavioral, mental and health checkups for youth. Ensure that parents keep a close watch on friend circles of the children. Ensure that parents ask their children about the daily expenditure or source of income if any.
He moves freely in the market, uses public transport and sometimes skips important security checks. It becomes easy for him to choose a target which could be either killing an innocent or lobbing a grenade on the security establishments.
After he does so, there is uproar, chaos and dispersion of crowd. The hybrid militant who is as common as you and me vanishes in the crowd. The hybrid militants are as same as sleeper cells if in any case, a hybrid militant is arrested inputs are not obtained.
Drug addiction in Kashmir favours Pakistan
The vulnerable youths in depression gets addicted towards the drugs easily. And once when this young bud becomes completely a drug addict, he takes most extreme steps to have drugs.
Sometimes he goes for burgalry and sometimes accept the unpleasant offers also. The drug peddlers and OGW’s uses them as couriers to carry drugs and ammo from one place to another.
As time goes on, many unpleasent and illegal works are being carried out by these addicts. Pakistan has used a dual strategy of sending drugs as well as weapons to keep the conflict alive and tear the core of the valley’s social fabric. Heroin smuggled from Pakistan is the most widely used opioid all over Kashmir.
Kashmir valley has witnessed 2000 per cent increase in the drug addiction. Government Medical college’s Oral Substitution Therapy Centre reported only 489 cases in 2016 but breached 10000 mark in 2021.
It is shocking to know that about 3.7 crore Rupees are been spent daily on drugs in Anantnag and Srinagar districts, same is the case with Shopian and Pulwama districts. This trend is been shown from last two years. Many deaths have been reported died due to drug overdose.
Police Tough On Narco Terror
Recent encounters and searches by the security forces exposed large consignments of narcotics with militants. In the last week of the June 2022 Jammu and Kashmir have busted Lashkar-e-Toiba narco- terror funding module in Badgam.
Badgam police claimed that the security forces have busted a narco-terror funding module of Lashkar-e-Toiba by arresting four terrorist associates. Incriminating materials, explosives, ammunitions and vehicles were recovered from their procession Heroin worth Rs 45 crores were also seized.
Pakistan has relentlessly pursued narco terror in Kashmir. One, Pakistan uses the revenue from the supply of narcotics is used to fund terror activities in Kashmir. Second, the youth addicted to drugs are pushed to carry out terror acts, be part of sleeper terror cells or become over ground workers to support the terror ecosystem
In February 2022, the security forces guarding the LOC killed three Pakistani militants who were carrying 36 kg of heroin worth over Rs 180 crore in the international market, along with arms and ammunition in Samba district. Around same time J&K Police arrested two militants with contraband worth Rs 18 crore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Last year in April while foiling the infiltration bids along the Kupwara sector security forces recovered two heroin consignments worth 100 crores, same year in October Army recovered 30 kgs of drugs in the bags with Pakistani markings. In 2020 heroin recovered from Handwara was found to be connected with the funding of proscribed militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Admn & Army Efforts To Fight Drug Addiction
The drug de-addiction policy which Jammu and Kashmir introduced to fight the drug menace. The administration provides a better de-addiction structure for drug addicts and also there must be timely review of anti-narco structure availability in the Union Territory.
Under operation Sadbhawna Programme Indian Army has set up several de-addiction counseling centres for drug-addicted youth. Indian Army Occasionally organises drug awareness camps to caution people against the use of drugs. Experts try to apprise people of the harmful side effects of drugs adverse impact on health – how one loses respect in the society and how many families became bankrupt due to continuous use of drugs.
