A brazen but gawky nexus of militants and drug mafia is active in Jammu and Kashmir State. Besides smuggling consignments of arms, ammunition and explosives from across the border , Pakistan is actively sending narcotics and drugs too to generate funds to sustain militancy, corrupt the brains of the youth and finally entice them to join militancy. Since the fact of there being very active Over Ground Workers (OGWs) is established beyond doubt to coordinate, shelter and guide militants as also provide “protective” cover of stone pelting in operations by the security forces against them , it is now established that these OGWs were also using local production of narcotics in the valley to fund militancy.
There are , thus, sufficient grounds to treat these OGWs as part and parcel of militant activities deserving very harsh and deterrent punishment. We have reliable inputs that the new trend and ever changing strategy adopted by militants and their sponsors from across the border include carrying consignments of narcotics with them along with arms and ammunition. Some of these consignments have been seized too. Some of the arrested militants as also their supportive over ground workers have confessed that militants were pumping narcotics into Jammu and Kashmir and the funds generated therefrom were used to sustain militancy .
It is evident thus that Pakistan was hell bent upon not only to spoil and damage the otherwise bright future for the youth in the fastest developing country but also crippling their nervous system and their health too which those of the “well wishers” of Pakistan and militancy in the valley who keep on misleading these youths and the people , should stir their conscience now and open their eyes towards total destructive plans of Pakistan against the youth of the valley.
Concerned over the alarming proportion during the past some years in respect of drug abuse catching up with the youth, including the women, a PIL has been filed in the State High Court by a young student itself wherein it is felt that even more than terrorism, the biggest threat to people was from the menace of drug use which was polluting the brain of the youth and killing them silently with more speed than from the scourge of terrorism.
Dealing with the Public Interest Litigation, highlighting low conviction and more acquittals in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA) cases, Division Bench of State High Court has asked the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of the concerned departments and authorities to prepare an action plan for addressing the perils of the drugs in the State. Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittaland Justice AlokAradhe further has directed that the action plan should include setting up of de-addiction centres in various districts of the State and for execution of the action plan; a nodal officer too must be identified. It is only leading to a weak kneed approach to fight extent of the enormity of the problem if no well defined and aimed action plan was prepared by any authority in the State and this fact of the matter has been viewed seriously by the Division Bench while the hearing came up in the case where two reports were separately filed by the Controller, Drugs and Food Control Organization and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu in compliance of the order of September 12 this year.
It sounds prosaic that the courts should intervene and subsequently ensure in formulation of action plans by the State Administration even to deal with a frightening hazard to society like use of drugs and narcotic substances with such alarming proportions. Why should otherwise the State be either quite complacent or deal with it in a lackadaisical and casual way ? That is why the DB observed that a plan deserved to be formulated by the concerned departments which would include inputs from the Departments of Education, Social Welfare, Health and Family Welfare and Home as well as Police. In this, The Jammu and Kashmir Legal Services Authority and the Police also deserved to join.
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