Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday invoked the teachings of revered Sufi saints Mir Syed Hussain Simnani (RA) and Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA), popularly known as Nund Reshi, saying their spiritual legacy would help in the fight against drug addiction in Jammu and Kashmir.’
Before leading a mega anti-drug addiction Pad Yatra-walkathon under the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan in Kulgam, LG Sinha addressed a gathering and described the district as the land of the two saints.
“Kulgam is a sacred land of Mir Syed Hussain Simnani (Reh) and Nund Reshi (Reh). Their teachings and blessings will surely help in eradicating the drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.Calling himself a member of the people’s family, the LG said he stood with those affected by addiction and shared their aspiration for a safe and drug-free Jammu and Kashmir.
LG Sinha said the anti-drug campaign launched 51 days ago had evolved into a mass movement involving citizens, educational institutions, religious leaders, women’s groups, youth clubs and civil society organisations.
Referring to the challenges faced by the region, he said J&K had confronted both terrorism and drug abuse, which, according to him, had adversely affected the youth.”J&K has endured unimaginable attacks of terrorism for many years. We also saw how drugs were slowly trapping our youth and weakening society,” the LG said.
He said police, security agencies, and the civil administration had intensified anti-narcotics operations under a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” resulting in the identification and dismantling of several drug networks.
Highlighting the outcomes of the ongoing campaign, LG Sinha said 923 FIRs had been registered in narcotics-related cases during the past 50 days and more than 1000 drug peddlers were arrested across J&K.
“Over 56 major drug peddlers had been detained under preventive laws, while more than 600 driving licences had been suspended and 124 cases processed for passport revocation,” he said. “The police are continuously acting against drug peddlers. This is a difficult and ongoing process.”
The LG said the administration would continue its crackdown on narcotics trafficking and asserted that the fight against drugs required participation from all sections of society.
Emphasising what he described as a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics, he said the challenge could not be addressed by law-enforcement agencies alone and required the involvement of families, educational institutions, religious leaders and civil society.
