Police is struggling to curb J&K’s ‘lucrative’ drugs trade

Most of the drugs, including heroin, were being smuggled from Pakistan to fund militancy.

The Jammu and Kashmir police is struggling to control the growing menace of narcotics smuggling in the state as all the state’s three regions—Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh—are witnessing “lucrative trade” by the drugs smugglers.

A senior police officer told The Sunday Guardian that after the recent arrest of some drug peddlers, they came to know that drugs were being smuggled to Ladakh, especially to Leh, and to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. “They have developed huge networks and are trying to sell drugs in the tourist hubs of the country,” said the official.

Recently, state director general of police S.P. Vaid told the media at a police de addiction centre that 25-30% of the drugs were coming from neighbouring Punjab, while 75% were being smuggled from outside the border to fund militancy related activi- ties. He said that recently the police booked about a dozen of drug smugglers under the Public Safety Act. He asked civil society and the judiciary to come to the aid of the police to eradicate this menace.

Giving details of the narcotic smugglers, IGP Kashmir range, Muneer Khan told The Sunday Guardian that they have busted five active gangs of drug peddlers both in Jammu and in the Kashmir valley.

“We have made a haul of narcotics during our raids to the tune of about Rs 500 crore in the international market,” Khan said. Giving further details, he said that in the previous month the police seized 70 kg of fine quality heroin in the Kashmir valley and arrested all the gang members.

Khan and his police chief S.P. Vaid maintain that most of the drugs, including heroin, were being smuggled from Pakistan to fund militancy.

In the recent past in Baramulla district, five drug peddlers were booked under PSA by the police, while in Shopian, Kulgam and Anatnag districts, six persons were booked under the same Act for carrying out drug smuggling. Many police officers rue that most of these smugglers come out soon as the courts grant them bail. They contended that the bailed smugglers again indulge in these activities again.

Director General of Police, S.P. Vaid expressed similar sentiments and said that in our society such people, who are out to destroy our young generation, should neither get a lawyer to defend themselves nor should judges let them go off. Meanwhile, reports from the Ladakh region said that acting on the leads from police in Kashmir, the police there has increased vigil on the Leh market to curb the drug menace in the town. There are reports that heroin and other drugs were being sold to tourists in the Leh market at different food joints. The Jammu and Kashmir government has informed the state high court that it will soon buy the latest machinery to dispose of solid non-bio-degradable waste generated in the Sonamarg Health Resort due to tourist traffic and Amarnath yatra. The government further informed the court that they were in the process of making comprehensive environment impact assessment report to make necessary changes in the master plan as per the standing instructions of the court.

In a recent hearing in a public interest litigation, the J&K High Court had directed the chief executive officer of Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA) to get necessary permission from the government to install the latest machinery for the disposal of solid waste generated by yatris and tourists in this health resort. The court has expressed its sharp concern over the building of hotels and other huts by the government inside the meadow of Sonamarg and had asked the government to revisit its master plan about the permission process inside the meadow. The court also asked in the earlier hearing to relocate the proposed golf course which was going to come up inside the meadow of Sonamarg.

It is in place to mention that earlier the state government, including its Building Operation Controlling Authority (BOKA), had allowed dozens of hoteliers to build huge concrete structures within the meadow of Sonamarg. The hoteliers have not only violated the building permission norms but they have also added dozens of rooms in their hotels. The SDA tried to demolish these hotels, but could not do it due to the influence they wield. The court has banned vehicular traffic from Sonamarg meadow up to Thajiwas Glacier as hundreds of vehicles were allowed during summer to move to the base of the glacier which has led to a lot of damage to its fragile environment. Tariq Ahmad Bhat and Sumiya Bashir will be back as teachers at Muslim Educational Institute ( MEI), Pampore, from where they had been sacked for being in love.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, the sacked teacher couple would be back to MEI, Pampore on Monday as he has resolved the issue on the instructions of the education minister Altaf Bukhari on Saturday.

He said that he had called the aggrieved couple and the school’s management to his office, and the school management has agreed to reinstate the services of both Bhat and Bashir who got married on 30 November.

Chairman of MEI, Bashir Masoodi told this reporter that the matter stands resolved, when he was asked why the couple was sacked on the day of their marriage.

Earlier, there was an outpouring of support on social media for Tariq Ahmad Bhat and Sumiya Bashir,