Jammu, Apr 15 (PTI) Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday blamed Pakistan for orchestrating drug smuggling into J-K to fund terrorism and destroy the young generation.
The LG vowed to map every hotspot and said that each one of them will be hit like a surgical strike and the entire network will be dismantled.
“For decades, Pakistan has orchestrated drug smuggling into Jammu and Kashmir to fund terrorism and destroy our young generation,” the LG said while speaking at a public meeting in Ramban as part of the drug-free Jammu and Kashmir campaign.
He said that drug abuse isn’t just a law and order issue but a “social cancer” requiring every part of society to fight. “I urge a ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ approach,” he said.
He said he believes that when the government’s strength and society’s resolve act as one, even the toughest challenges crumble.
“We will map every hotspot. And I promise you: We will hit each one like a surgical strike. Not a single smuggler will be spared. The entire network will be dismantled,” he said.
Intensifying the crusade against the drug menace, the lieutenant governor led a ‘padyatra’ from the district police line to the administrative complex in Ramban. He was joined by public representatives, senior officials of civil and police administration, civil society members, religious leaders, and members of the business and trade community, among others.
Addressing the gathering, the lieutenant governor highlighted society’s role in the fight against the drug menace and called for collective action.
“If the neighbour’s house is on fire, yours is not safe. Because drugs don’t spread like flames, but they spread like wind. That’s why a ‘whole of society’ response is our only real and potent weapon against the drug menace.
“I firmly believe that when society stands united behind a cause, the law becomes a thousand times stronger. We must build a society where the dealer fears the law, and the one who breaks free from drugs feels proud of themselves, their family, their society, and their government,” the lieutenant governor said.
He said history proves that organised societies drive change and women’s power plays a crucial role.
“This fight belongs to mothers and sisters, elders, youth, teachers, panchayats, athletes, and elected representatives alike. It is not the job of just one department. Defeating addiction is our collective responsibility,” he said.
The lieutenant governor called upon every panchayat and ward to form women’s vigilance committees.
“Women are the frontline of this war. You know where the household money goes. If anyone in the family is showing symptoms of addiction, don’t hide it. Don’t call him a criminal. Call him a patient. But that patient needs society’s help, not just four walls,” he said.
