Drugs and Terror: One Challenge

 The message is unmistakable: Kashmir cannot defeat terrorism unless it also defeats the networks poisoning its young and profiting from despair

While leading an anti-drug padyatra in Anantnag on Saturday, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s assertion that drugs and terrorism are “two faces of the same problem” deserves to be heard with the seriousness it demands. For too long, drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir was discussed either as a law-and-order issue or as a social malaise eating silently into the moral and emotional fabric of society. But the warning issued now is starker: the narcotics trade is not merely destroying young lives; it is also feeding the very networks of violence and radicalisation that have bled Jammu and Kashmir for decades. This linkage must not be dismissed as rhetoric. Jammu and Kashmir’s vulnerability, cross-border terrorism, and its proximity to a hostile neighbour make narco-trafficking far more sinister here than in many other places. If drug money is indeed being used to fund terror, purchase weapons and sustain underground networks, then every consignment sold on the street is not just poisoning a home; it is financing instability. In that sense, the battle against drugs is no longer confined to rehabilitation centres, police stations or family counselling rooms. It is part of a larger struggle for social survival and public peace. The figures cited from Anantnag: 108 NDPS cases, properties worth Rs 3.5 crore demolished, vehicles seized, licences cancelled and drug stores sealed, point to an administration finally signalling visible intent. Such action is necessary. Drug cartels thrive where enforcement is weak, fear is widespread and public silence is deep. Breaking that ecosystem requires sustained pressure, not symbolic crackdowns. The real test, however, lies in whether these actions lead to dismantling entire networks rather than merely catching small operatives at the edges. Yet enforcement alone will not win this war. The call for a “Whole of Society Approach” is both timely and unavoidable. Families, teachers, clerics, sports bodies, civil society groups, elders and cultural institutions must step beyond ritual concern and into organised intervention. A society that whispers about addiction but refuses to confront peddlers, protect vulnerable youth or support recovery only strengthens the menace. There is also wisdom in linking anti-drug efforts with sports, culture and youth engagement. Rehabilitation is not just about removing substances; it is about restoring purpose, discipline and belonging. Kashmir’s young generation needs not only policing against temptation, but pathways toward dignity. The message from Anantnag is clear: this is not someone else’s war. If drugs finance death and destroy futures, then fighting them must become a collective civic duty. Jammu and Kashmir can no longer afford denial, fragmentation or silence.

Source https://risingkashmir.com/drugs-and-terror-one-challenge