Sopore, May 11: Years of armed conflict claimed a generation of young Kashmiris. Now, a more insidious enemy is finishing the job — drugs. This warning came Monday from Dr. Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, who said narcotics are silently destroying the same youth that guns once targeted.
“First, the gun killed our youth for decades. There was blood on our streets. Now, drugs are killing them — silently, invisibly, but just as fatally,” Dr. Andrabi said while addressing the Asluk Aalav (The Call for Truth) public discourse series in the apple town of Sopore, as per the Kashmir Convener.
The event was part of a social transformation initiative focusing on environmental awareness, Swadeshi promotion, and moral values among youth. Dr. Andrabi was the chief guest.
She drew a sharp parallel between two eras of destruction. “The gun made orphans. The drug is making empty homes,” she said. “Drugs are as dangerous as guns for society. The enemy has changed its weapon, but the target remains the same — our young generation. First, they used bullets. Now, they use poison.”
The Waqf Chairperson called for a collective war on two fronts. “We supported the government in curbing terrorism. We ended the gun culture. Now, we have to support the government in eliminating the drug menace from J&K. There can be no compromise,” she said.
She described drug peddlers as the “new recruiters” and said moral poisoning is the latest ploy against Kashmiri society. “Moral impurities injected into this society by our enemies are like diseases. We have to cure them on a priority basis,” Dr. Andrabi added.
She also hailed the ‘Drug-Free Jammu & Kashmir’ initiative of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, saying the campaign has received huge public support and built a positive environment across the Union Territory.
“But let us not be under any illusion,” she cautioned. “The gun destroyed one generation. The drug is finishing another. We have to act now.”
She also said that Kashmir is the land of Sufis and saints, and it should be clean from every evil, so it is the responsibility of all to play their part in making Kashmir free from all evils.
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