As Pakistan's narco-terror networks target J&K's youth, a 100-day campaign mounts a frontline defence
The worrying increase in cross-border narcotics smuggling by Pakistan has threatened the health and wellbeing of the youth in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in recent years. According to official reports, between 2019 and 2023, security agencies intercepted 2,660 kilograms of heroin smuggled from Pakistan into India. Notably, narco-terror organisations have covertly established local support networks for the drug trade across the UT, with youth being a particular target. Pakistan has also used drones to drop drugs and weapons inside the UT across the Line of Control and along the International Border.
In response to this crisis threatening to erode the UT's societal fabric, the J&K government launched a 100-day Nasha Mukt Abhiyan (Campaign against Addiction) on 11 April 2026. Conceived as a decisive battle against the drug menace and narco-terrorism, the campaign aims to intensify the crackdown on drug cartels, engage communities, and reach out to youth in schools and colleges through awareness drives and sports competitions held across the UT's urban and remote areas.
Mainly produced in the Golden Crescent region, heroin and opium are distributed in J&K by terrorist organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), with active assistance from Pakistani agencies.
Leading from the front, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) not only supervises the campaign but also participates in foot marches across districts to promote a collective pledge to eradicate the drug menace, urging citizens, religious leaders, and civil society to actively engage with the effort and help restore lives affected by addiction. Within two months of its launch, the campaign has evolved into a people's movement, drawing in the public and government departments alike. Buoyed by enthusiastic public support, even mosque pulpits — which had hitherto maintained silence on drug abuse and narco-terrorism — are now being used to spread awareness about addiction, in a bid to preserve the UT's socio-economic and cultural fabric.
The UT of J&K is grappling with a growing drug abuse crisis. Estimates indicate that 1.35 million individuals, constituting approximately 10 percent of the total population, are victims of substance abuse — a figure that has nearly doubled over the past four years from 0.6 million in 2022, with families, youth, and even minors bearing the brunt. Today, 160,000 minors aged between 10 and 17 years are reportedly addicted to various substances: 8,000 use cannabis, 19,000 use sedatives, 46,000 inhale toxic substances, and a significant number have become addicted to cocaine and hallucinogens.
Heroin has emerged as the predominant drug, used by 90 to 95 percent of addicts. Many users administer it by injection, significantly heightening the risk of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C through syringe sharing. With the average heroin user spending around INR 88,000 per month on drugs (INR 10.5 lakhs annually), narcotics have emerged as a convenient instrument for funding Pakistan's cross-border terrorism. Mainly produced in the Golden Crescent region, heroin and opium are distributed in J&K by terrorist organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), with active assistance from Pakistani agencies. These groups use the proceeds to fund operations against India within the UT, gain logistical support on the ground, and deploy narcotics as a non-traditional weapon to weaken adversaries. In 2022-23, Indian security forces recorded 26 cases of narco-terrorism in J&K and confiscated a substantial cache of weapons and contraband, including 20 AK-47 rifles, 22 pistols, 269.6 kilograms of heroin, and 3.2 kilograms of brown sugar.
To counter the Pakistan-enabled narcotics menace along the International Border and Line of Control, security agencies have deployed technologically advanced equipment — including motion detectors, night vision devices, AI-enabled surveillance grids, and drones.
Pakistan traditionally sourced drugs from Afghanistan to fund its narco-terrorism against India. However, following a significant crackdown on poppy cultivation by the Taliban since its return to power in 2021, the area under cultivation declined sharply — from 233,000 hectares in 2022 to 10,200 hectares in 2025. To bridge this shortfall, Pakistan has encouraged cultivation in Balochistan, with the area expanding from 27 hectares in 2020 to 380 hectares in 2023. Poppy grown in Balochistan is openly traded.
The UT administration has taken significant measures to combat the use of narcotics to fund terrorist activities in J&K, resulting in the seizure of approximately 75,564 kilograms of opium-based drugs and 10,611 kilograms of cannabis between 2020 and November 2025. Over the same period, narcotics seizures declined by 84 percent, with the local police registering thousands of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. NDPS cases registered stood at 1,681 in 2021 and 1,837 in 2023. In 2024, 1,514 cases were registered and 2,260 persons arrested. In 2025, 1,000 cases were registered, resulting in 1,400 arrests. In the first half of 2026 (till May), police had registered 542 NDPS cases, arrested 716 individuals, and seized 640 kg of narcotics valued at approximately INR 18.49 crore. To counter the Pakistan-enabled narcotics menace along the International Border and Line of Control, security agencies have deployed technologically advanced equipment — including motion detectors, night vision devices, AI-enabled surveillance grids, and drones.
Sustaining this momentum beyond the 100-day framework will, however, be critical — long-term success depends on institutional continuity and sustained cooperation between the administration and communities to disrupt transnational supply chains.
Drug peddlers have profited substantially from narcotics. Under the NDPS Act, the J&K government has confiscated property valued at millions of dollars from such anti-national elements. Under the 100-day Nasha Mukt Abhiyan, more stringent measures are being implemented against traffickers, including the attachment and demolition of properties acquired through narcotics proceeds. Within the first 30 days of the campaign, 97 properties had been attached and 41 properties valued at INR 15 crore demolished, as of 15 May. Additionally, under a new Standard Operating Procedure, the government will revoke all relevant documents — including driving licences, passports, and Aadhaar cards — and freeze the bank accounts of narcotics dealers and drug peddlers.
The smuggling of narcotics into J&K from across the border continues to pose a significant threat to social order, public health, and national security. Terrorist organisations, in collaboration with Pakistani security agencies, have used narcotics not only to finance their operations but also to foment social disorder within the UT. The 100-day Nasha Mukt Abhiyan has evolved into a public movement aimed at safeguarding society, particularly the youth, with mosques and communities condemning drug use and actively participating in awareness efforts. Sustaining this momentum beyond the 100-day framework will, however, be critical — long-term success depends on institutional continuity and sustained cooperation between the administration and communities to disrupt transnational supply chains. Ultimately, the campaign represents not merely a counter-narcotics effort, but a frontline defence of J&K's social fabric and national security.
Ayjaz Wani is a Fellow with the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Ayjaz Wani (Phd) is a Fellow in the Strategic Studies Programme at ORF. Based out of Mumbai, he tracks China’s relations with Central Asia, Pakistan and ...
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