Over 4K Mosques Unite as Massive Anti‑Drug Campaign Sweeps Across Kashmir Valley

What are you doing? A comprehensive 100-day anti-drug campaign was launched in the Kashmir Valley; More than 4,000 mosques and religious institutions are joining forces to confront what authorities describe as one of the gravest social crises facing Jammu and Kashmir today.

According to District Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg, community participation has become the backbone of ‘Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan’ as clergy, preachers and religious leaders mobilize their congregations to combat the growing menace of narcotic abuse.

The campaign comes at a time when J&K is witnessing an extremely alarming rise in drug addiction, especially among the youth. In response, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched what he called the historic “Drug Free Jammu and Kashmir” movement at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu on April 11.

The launch marked the beginning of an unprecedented, people-centered, 100-day mass mobilization effort aimed at confronting the threat at all levels of society. The event hosted a massive padyatra and walkathon from MA Stadium to Parade Ground, attended by thousands of citizens, public representatives, senior officials and civil society members, symbolizing a united front against narcotics.

Since the intensified campaign began, Garg said more than 4,000 mosques and religious institutions have hosted awareness programmes, sermons and outreach sessions. Approximately 955 religious leaders have taken an active role, using their platforms to educate people about the devastating consequences of drug use and the collective responsibility needed to eliminate it. Special sermons and outreach activities were held after Friday prayers at important shrines like Jama Masjid Srinagar, Sheikh Sayid Abdul Qadir Jeelani Mosque, Jenab Sahib Soura, Hazratbal, Syed Hyder Reshi Sahib, Baba Reshi, Resh Moul and Ashmuqam; Here religious leaders appealed to people to join the movement and support efforts to build a safer, drug-free Kashmir.

In addition to mobilizing society, the administration has also intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking networks. Dozens of drug traffickers were arrested, and authorities began seizing assets and taking harsh criminal action against criminals. A new Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) mandates cancellation of passports, driving licences, Aadhaar numbers and gun licenses of people involved in drug trafficking. While Surveillance Circulars have been issued for fugitives, movable and immovable properties are also being seized under the NDPS Act. Bank accounts are being frozen and comprehensive financial investigations are being conducted targeting the economic bases of drug networks.

The campaign in all twenty districts of the Union Territory triggered an unprecedented wave of public participation. Marches, rallies, seminars, awareness-raising activities and social events are held every day, reflecting the social awakening to the urgency of the crisis. The administration emphasizes that the fight against drugs cannot be won only through sanctions, but requires collective determination, social alertness and constant public participation.