Pak pumping drugs into J&K to finance terrorism: DGP

Majority of the drugs being pumped into Jammu and Kashmir came from Pakistan to finance terror activities, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said on Wednesday, asserting that the police were working to block the supply chain to rid the region of the menace.

He said the drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir had increased manifold compared to the previous years, which was evident from the seizure of a huge quantity of narcotic substances and arrest of drug peddlers.

"It is a big conspiracy of Pakistan as a majority of the drugs is coming from there...investigation into some cases indicates that the money generated from drugs smuggling is being utilised to finance militancy," the DGP told reporters on the sidelines of a function at the drug de-addiction centre in the police lines here.

Singh, who released a pamphlet to educate youngsters against the use of drugs, said the police were working tirelessly to wipe out the growing threat.

"So far, 340 people (drug peddlers) have been arrested against a total of 350 last year, while the (drug) licences of eight shops were cancelled and 12 more persons were detained under the Public Safety Act," he said, adding that the police had also seized a huge quantity of narcotics this year.

"The police is working to block the supply chain, whether it comes from Kashmir or the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and elsewhere... There are some cases where the drugs were supplied from Kashmir and the investigating team was successful in identifying the route and the supposed destination, whether in Punjab or Delhi, leading to a huge recovery of narcotics," the officer said.

Seeking people's cooperation to wipe out the threat from the society, he said the drug menace had increased manifold compared to the previous years.

"We have opened this centre in 2013 and over the years, it has expanded, generating the faith and trust of people, especially those addicted to drugs," the DGP said.

He added that the number of people coming to the centre was increasing with every passing day.

"We have identified a piece of land here to construct a bigger centre. We have already established a big centre in downtown Srinagar at a cost of Rs 8 crore. This menace is not only prevalent here, but in Kashmir as well," Singh said.

Once the proposal was approved, Jammu would get a state-of-the-art drug de-addiction centre, which would be like a good hospital, he added.

Hailing the efforts of the staff of the drug de-addiction centre at the police lines, Singh said their counselling and treatment helped many youngsters to give up narcotics.

"Some of them have joined hands and are helping other young addicts to overcome drugs. They are playing a very good role," he said.

The state police chief requested the parents to give adequate time to their children to ensure that they did not fall into bad company.

"Listen to and understand your children, who need your guidance and time, instead of remaining busy with your mobile phones and chatting. You need to keep a close watch on the activities of your children before it takes the shape of a disease," he said.

Singh also advised youngsters to stay away from drugs and said, "Using drugs is no justification or solution to overcome frustration. It should not be done as success and failure are part of life."