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

SRINAGAR: A sweeping, 100‑day anti‑drug campaign has taken hold across the Kashmir Valley, with more than 4,000 mosques and religious institutions joining forces to confront what officials describe as one of the gravest social crises facing Jammu and Kashmir today.

According to Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg, community participation has become the backbone of the ‘Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan’, as clerics, preachers and religious leaders mobilise their congregations to fight the escalating threat of narcotics abuse.

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

The launch marked the beginning of an unprecedented, people‑centric, 100‑day mass mobilisation effort aimed at confronting the menace at every level of society. The event featured a massive padyatra and walkathon from MA Stadium to Parade Ground, drawing thousands of citizens, public representatives, senior officials and civil society members—symbolising a united front against narcotics.

Since the intensified campaign began, Garg said that over 4,000 mosques and religious institutions have hosted awareness programmes, sermons and community outreach sessions. Around 955 religious heads have taken an active role, using their platforms to educate people about the devastating consequences of drug abuse and the collective responsibility required to eliminate it. Special sermons and outreach activities were delivered after Friday prayers at major shrines including Jama Masjid Srinagar, Sheikh Sayid Abdul Qadir Jeelani Mosque, Jenab Sahib Soura, Hazratbal, Syed Hyder Reshi Sahib, Baba Reshi, Resh Moul, and Ashmuqam, where religious leaders urged people to join the movement and support efforts to build a safer, drug‑free Kashmir.

Alongside community mobilisation, the administration has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking networks. Dozens of drug smugglers have been arrested, and authorities have begun seizing assets and taking stern punitive action against offenders. A new Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) mandates the revocation of passports, driving licences, Aadhaar numbers and arms licences of individuals involved in drug trafficking. Look Out Circulars are being issued for absconders, while movable and immovable properties are attached under the NDPS Act. Bank accounts are being frozen, and comprehensive financial investigations targetting the economic foundations of drug networks.

Across all twenty districts of the Union Territory, the campaign has triggered an unprecedented wave of public engagement. Marches, rallies, seminars, awareness drives and community events are being held daily, reflecting a broad societal awakening to the urgency of the crisis. The administration emphasises that the fight against drugs cannot be won through enforcement alone—it requires collective resolve, community vigilance and sustained public participation.