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India.com
4 days ago
- Health
- India.com
Jammu and Kashmir Turned Hub Of Narcotics: A Threat From Across The Border
Jammu and Kashmir is facing a new crisis as officials state that drug addiction is becoming a serious concern in Kashmir, devastating the lives of young people. There has been a sharp rise in heroin consumption, with the main rehabilitation facility in Srinagar reporting a 200 per cent increase in patients seeking treatment since 2020, primarily for heroin addiction. Recent surveys on drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir paint a grim picture of an escalating crisis, particularly in the Kashmir Valley. Approximately 13 lakh people in J&K are estimated to be drug users, representing about 10% of the population. These figures suggest a sharp rise from earlier estimates of 6 lakh in 2022. Heroin is the most commonly used drug, with a 95 per cent dependence rate among users. It is often injected, leading to high rates of syringe reuse and sharing, which increases health risks like Hepatitis C. Reports indicate that the majority of users fall into the 15–30 age group. Eighty-five per cent of opioid users prefer injection. Approximately 33,000 syringes are used daily for heroin injection in the Valley; a rough estimate suggests that among them, 65% are reused syringes, which increases the risks of diseases like Hepatitis C. Doctors at the main Drug De-addiction Centre in Srinagar stated that around 350-400 addicts visit the daily outpatient department (OPD), with a maximum of around 300 being heroin users who administer the drug through injection. Dr. Fazl e Roub, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, IMHANS, said, "We used to see 3-4 patients in 2016, but now we see 350-400 patients daily, most of whom are heroin users. I am talking about this center only; there are many more centers in Kashmir, and mostly they use syringes. Many patients are now shifting to Tapandol as the government has imposed strict restrictions. Out of the 350-400 patients we see daily, 300 are using heroin, and of those, 250-270 use syringes. They have a vast network; many peddlers are here, but now it's getting difficult for them. It's affecting the whole community; almost 70 per cent of them have Hepatitis C, and it goes from one human to another; it affects the whole family. The age group is 18 to 29; we have seen some females also. Treatment-seeking data for this center is around 8000, and many do not seek treatment early. A survey indicated 68,000 patients were treatment-seeking. We get patients from all classes; it's unfortunate that every class is getting affected, even the professional class." Drug abuse imposes a significant financial burden, as it is estimated that a user spends an average of INR 88,000–90,000 monthly on heroin. One of the drug addicts in rehabilitation spoke to Zee News, stating that he used to take 4 grams of heroin daily, which cost him around 24,000 rupees a day. He said there are more than 50 people alone selling in Srinagar, and dozens are in Jammu. In Jammu, drugs are available at a lower rate, so youth from Srinagar now travel to Jammu daily to obtain heroin. A drug addict in the rehab center said, "I used to take 4 grams of heroin; it costs 24,000 rupees per day. We used to manage money; four or five friends of us contributed. It's 100% true that heroin is used by 90% of drug abusers in Kashmir; heroin use is increasing day by day. This time, most of the use is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. They want to destroy the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, and that's happening. Heroin use will never end. It's common everywhere—in colleges, in schools, in tuition centers. 'Chitta' is common; it's called Chitta because it is white in color. It's increasing minute by minute. You say 50 thousand; around 1 lakh are those who are taking treatment, taking medicine; imagine how many more there would be. I am talking about heroin users; they are not in thousands; they are in lakhs. Earlier, it used to come pure; now it's synthetic. In Kashmir, around 40-50 are selling this. Now youth don't go to dealers in Kashmir; they directly go to Jammu. There are so many spots in Jammu; one gets closed, another is opened." J&K Police and security forces have now escalated their fight against narco-terrorism through property seizures, arrests, and enhanced border surveillance, targeting both drug peddlers and their financial networks. While significant strides have been made, the complex nexus of drugs and terrorism, fueled by Pakistan-based handlers, remains a formidable challenge. The police focused on dismantling interstate and cross-border narco-terror modules. In 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Police invoked the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act against notorious drug peddlers. Across the Union Territory, 463 detention orders were issued under PIT-NDPS in the last 18 months leading up to June 2024, indicating sustained enforcement into 2025. SSP Srinagar G V Sundeep said, "This year, police in the anti-drug campaign have done extensive work against drug trafficking. Around 80 FIRs are registered, and nearly 150 drug peddlers were arrested. Around 40 big drug peddlers were booked under UAPA, which has given a jolt to their supply chain. Under NDPS cases, during investigations, many bank accounts were seized, and properties of big drug peddlers were seized and attached, valued around 7-8 crore rupees. Huge quantities of heroin, cannabis, and other drugs were recovered, which shows Jammu and Kashmir police's zero tolerance." "Jammu and Kashmir, in the present and in the past, has busted many narco-terrorism modules. We, the police and administration, have many times, with proofs and evidence, shown the international community that narcotics fund terrorism. Many times we filed charge sheets; even the NIA also proved that a share in drug trade goes to terrorists." Apart from the crackdown on drug peddlers, the police continued coordination, community engagement, and rehabilitation efforts among the common people to curb narco-terrorism. Jammu and Kashmir police also started awareness programs among common masses; in every police station, a 'thana diwas' is conducted to educate people about drug abuse. SSP Srinagar G V Sundeep said, "For many years, Jammu and Kashmir has adopted a multi-frontal approach in the anti-drug campaign. We make people aware every week during 'thana diwas'. We mostly talk about drugs; we try to engage youth in sports to keep them away from drugs." Intelligence agencies suggest that as Pakistan is financially unstable, it is getting difficult for them to fund the terror organizations operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Now, changing their strategy, they have told terror organizations to focus more on narco trade. ISI, along with terror organizations operating in Pakistan, are pushing hard drugs like heroin and brown sugar through the LoC and Punjab, which are sold in Jammu and Kashmir as well as routed to metro cities in India, mostly Mumbai, and the Middle East, where their value increases 1000 times. A kilogram of heroin which costs 5 lakhs in Kashmir is sold for around 5 crores in Mumbai or Dubai. Agencies say the heroin comes into Jammu and Kashmir from Afghanistan via Pakistan, a region known as the Golden Crescent, a name given to the opium-producing countries. As per data from the Narcotics Control Bureau of India, almost 800 kg of heroin were seized in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab from March 2019 to January 2025. Narco-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir refers to the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorist activities, primarily driven by Pakistan-based groups to fund terrorism and destabilize the region. This phenomenon has emerged as a significant security and social challenge in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly after the steep rise in drug-related incidents. Agencies believe the LoC is a key entry point, with drugs like heroin, brown sugar, and cannabis smuggled through unfenced areas in districts like Kupwara, Baramulla, and Jammu border areas like R.S. Pura. Drones are increasingly used to drop consignments. Some drug consignments enter via Punjab and are rerouted to Jammu and Kashmir. Agencies also have reports that Pakistan orchestrates narco trade in Jammu and Kashmir and other metro cities of India and routes it to the Middle East to earn huge amounts out of this trade. Out of the earned amount, some percentage is used by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistan military to fund terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities claim that Pakistan channels drug profits to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen. A rough estimate suggests narcotics trafficking along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India corridor generates estimated earnings of ₹500 crore annually. NIA findings of ongoing drug seizures, such as 200 kg of heroin in 2019 and multiple seizures in 2020–2022, and busts of narcotics worth Rs 65 crore in Baramulla and Rs 180 crore in Samba, indicate a robust narco-terror network linked to Pakistan-based terror groups.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
J&K leads in mental health helpline calls
SRINAGAR: A quiet revolution is taking place in mental health care in Jammu & Kashmir. For many battling depression and dark thoughts, a single phone call is making all the difference. The UT has emerged as India's leading performer in responding to mental health distress calls. Driving this transformation is Tele MANAS, a Centre-backed digital mental health support initiative. This was revealed during the national launch of video consultations under Tele MANAS and Hindi version of the Tele MANAS App 1.0 early this month. The central govt announced the launch of National Tele Mental Health Programme in October 2022 to provide free, round-the-clock mental health counselling through digital platforms, aiming to make mental health care accessible nationwide. A year later, Tele MANAS centres were established across various states, with the one in J&K emerging as among the first to become fully operational. Of the 1,03,504 calls received by the centre so far, 87,450 were user-initiated while 15,731 were follow-up or outreach calls made by Tele MANAS. Topping the country list in terms of population-to-call ratio, the J&K Tele MANAS centre is also among the busiest, handling nearly 150 calls a day. The centre, based on the premises of Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Kashmir, has 19 counsellors, seven psychiatrists, and a backup from a team of clinical psychologists from IMHANS, Kashmir. When video consultations under the programme began in October 2023, J&K was among three states/UTs chosen. Since then, over 400 video consultations have been held and J&K is leading in both volume and adoption, Dr Naveen Kumar C, principal investigator at the national coordinating centre, said. He said video consultations were a significant shift from audio-only interactions as it allowed far more effective clinical engagement. Prof Arshid Hussain, Tele MANAS in-charge at IMHANS, Kashmir, attributed the service's success to a combination of J&K's digitally connected population and awareness about the programme among them. He said the centre was getting calls from all over J&K, including areas like Gurez and Karnah along the LoC in the valley, and border areas of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua and Reasi in Jammu. The most common issue reported through Tele MANAS has been persistent low mood-related depressive symptoms, accounting for 38.5% of all cases. This is followed by anxiety-related issues, including generalized anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, making up nearly 20% of calls. Around 9.27% users sought help for stress linked to exams, workplace pressure, or relationship difficulties. Nearly 4% showed symptoms of losing touch with reality like hallucinations or delusional thinking while disturbing, suicidal thoughts or past attempts were recorded in 3.4% of consultations.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Pak shelling over, J&K border-zone trauma lingers: Report
Srinagar: Pakistani shelling in Operation Sindoor's aftermath last month did not just destroy homes and lives. It left scars on minds that aren't healing quickly, says a report by Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS-Kashmir) in Srinagar. The report paints a grim picture of mental health conditions in border areas, revealing deep-seated trauma, paranoia, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in adults and kids, and fears of unexploded shells among schoolchildren. After people returned home following a pause in the operation in mid-May, IMHANS teams visited areas in shelling-ravaged Uri to offer emotional support, check for stress, and tell people how to get help for mental health issues. Over 3,600 people were examined, including 794 women, 624 boys, and 815 girls. Check-ups, counselling, medicines, and advice on staying safe and dealing with stress were provided. 'Most patients were in visible distress, exhibiting signs of shock, confusion, and heightened anxiety. Despite residing close to LoC, many shared that they had never experienced shelling of such intensity and felt completely unprepared for it,' the report says. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cervecería Nacional CFD: Calcula cuánto podrías ganar invirtiendo solo $100 Empieza a invertir Inscríbete ahora Undo Families, especially children, were experiencing high levels of anxiety, confusion, and sleep disturbances. 'Many children displayed signs of distress such as clinginess, fear of separation from caregivers, and nightmares,' the report adds. The report prescribes a series of antidotes. It advocates partnerships to establish mental health clinics or regular outreach programs in border villages. It suggests training for local community members, teachers, and frontline workers in psychological first aid (PFA) and basic mental health assessment and support, enabling them to identify and refer cases needing specialised care. 'This can help overcome the dearth of resources and improve accessibility (to care),' the report states. The IMHANS specialists also highlight challenges, such as stigma surrounding mental health issues, making individuals reluctant to seek help or openly discuss their experiences. 'This can be exacerbated in traditional communities.' Beyond initial trauma, people in border areas face other stress factors such as uncertainty about the future, damage to property and livelihoods and loss of loved ones. 'Psychological first aid alone may not be sufficient to address chronic stress,' the report states.
Al Jazeera
10-03-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
‘Stuck in a nightmare': A Kashmiri woman's battle with heroin addiction
Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – Afiya's* frail fingers pick at the loose threads of her worn dark-brown sweater. She sits at the edge of her bed in the rehabilitation ward of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in Indian-administered Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. As the faded and stained clothes hang loosely on her thin frame, and with down-cast eyes, she says: 'I used to dream of flying high above the mountains, touching the blue sky as a flight attendant. Now, I am stuck in a nightmare, high on drugs, fighting for my life.' Afiya, 24, is only one among thousands of people addicted to heroin in the disputed region where a growing epidemic of drug addiction is consuming young lives. A 2022 study by the psychiatry department of the Government Medical College in Srinagar found that Kashmir had overtaken Punjab, the northwestern Indian state battling a drug crisis for decades, in the number of cases of narcotics use per capita. In August 2023, an Indian Parliament report estimated that nearly 1.35 million of Kashmir's 12 million people were drug users, suggesting a sharp rise from the nearly 350,000 such users in the previous year as estimated in a survey by the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) at the Government Medical College, Srinagar. The IMHANS survey also found that 90 percent of drug users in Kashmir were aged between 17 and 33. SMHS, the hospital Afiya is in, attended to more than 41,000 drug-related patients in 2023 – an average of one person brought in every 12 minutes, a 75 percent increase from the figure in 2021. The surge in Kashmir's drug cases was mainly fuelled by its proximity to the so-called 'Golden Crescent', a region covering parts of neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, where opium is grown on a large scale. Experts also say chronic unemployment – triggered by the region losing its partial autonomy in 2019, quickly followed by the COVID-19 pandemic – fuelled stress and despair, driving Kashmiri youth towards substance abuse. As a result, says Dr Yasir Rather, a professor in charge of psychiatry at IMHANS, hospitals and treatment centres in the region are stretched. He said while addiction treatment facilities have been established across Kashmir since 2021, only a handful of hospitals have inpatient facilities for severe addiction patients like Afiya, who often require hospitalisation. 'It seemed harmless' 'You will get through this,' Afiya's mother, Rabiya*, whispers to her daughter, brushing aside the damp hair from Aafiya's face. She has just had a bath. Afiya's father, Tabish*, sits on a chair in a corner, silently watching them. Afiya barely listens to her mother's reassuring words and seems more focused on repeatedly removing the blue blanket provided by the hospital to let some fresh air caress the deep, black wounds on her hands, legs and stomach, caused by the needle pricks in her veins from injecting heroin. The gaping wounds now ooze blood and a thick, yellow pus, as doctors warn she could infect her parents and attendants. More than six years ago, Afiya was a bright high-school student dreaming of becoming a flight attendant. After passing her 12th grade with impressive 85 percent marks, she responded to a job advertisement posted by a leading private Indian airline. 'This isn't the real me lying in this bed,' Afiya tells Al Jazeera. 'I used to drive my car. I was a stylish woman known for my beautiful handwriting, intellect and strong communication skills. My quick memory made me stand out. I could recall details effortlessly, never missing a thing. I was independent and confident. 'But now, I lie here motionless, like a dead fish, as my siblings put it. Even they can't ignore the smell that lingers around me.' She says she was selected for the airline job and sent to New Delhi for training. 'I stayed there for two months. It felt like a new beginning, a chance to fly, to escape.' But her soaring dreams were dashed to the ground in August 2019 when the Indian government scrapped the special status of Kashmir and imposed a months-long security lockdown to discourage street protests against the shock move. Thousands of people, including top politicians, were arrested and thrown in jail. Internet and other basic rights were also suspended, as New Delhi brought the region under its direct control for the first time in decades. 'The situation back home was grim. There was no communication with my family, no phones, no way to know if they were safe. I couldn't stay in New Delhi any more, disconnected like that. I took a week's leave and went home,' Afiya said. As she left the capital with help from other Kashmiris, little did she know her journey as a flight attendant had ended even before it began. 'By the time the situation [in Kashmir] improved, roads opened up, and I could think of going back to New Delhi, five months had passed. In that period, I lost my dream job, and with it, I lost myself,' she says as her eyes well up. 'I applied for jobs in other airlines but nothing worked out. With every rejection, I started losing hope. Then COVID hit and jobs became even scarcer. Over time, I lost interest in working altogether – my mind just wasn't in it any more. I didn't feel like doing anything.' Afiya says that with each passing month, her frustration turned into despair. She began to spend more time with her friends, seeking solace in their company. 'At first, we just talked about our struggles,' she says. 'Then it started with small temptations, with little puffs of cannabis to deal with the tension. It seemed harmless. Then someone offered me a foil [of heroin]. I didn't think twice. It felt euphoric.' 'The only thing that gave me peace was drugs – everything else felt like it was burning me from inside.' 'Ruthless hunger' But the escape was short-lived, she says, and the cycle of dependence took over. 'The dream quickly turned into a nightmare. The euphoria faded and was replaced by a ruthless hunger,' she says as she describes the desperate measures and risks she began to take to find drugs. 'Once, I travelled 40km (25 miles) from Srinagar to south Kashmir's Shopian district to meet a drug dealer. My friends were running out of stock and someone gave me his number. I called him directly to arrange the supply. He was a big dealer, and at that time, the only way to get what we needed. 'When I reached there, he introduced me to something called 'tichu' [local slang for injection]. He was the first person to introduce me to injecting drugs. He injected it into my belly right there in the car,' she says. 'The rush was intense – it felt like heaven, but only for a moment.' That moment of euphoria marked the beginning of her quick descent into deeper addiction. 'Heroin's grip is merciless. It's not just a drug, it becomes your life,' says Afiya. 'I would stay up all night, coordinating with friends to make sure we had enough for the next day. It was exhausting, but the craving was stronger than all other kinds of pain.' Heroin is the region's most commonly used drug, with addicts spending thousands of rupees every month to buy it. 'Heroin has spread far and wide, and we are seeing a disturbingly high number of patients affected by it,' says IMHANS's Rather. The professor says he has noted a rise in substance abuse among women, attributing it to mental health struggles and unemployment. 'Before 2016, we rarely saw cases involving heroin. Most people used cannabis or other soft drugs. But heroin spreads like a virus, reaching everyone – men, women, even pregnant women,' he tells Al Jazeera. 'Now, we see 300 to 400 patients daily, both new cases and follow-ups, and most involve heroin addiction.' But why heroin? 'Because of its rapid and intense euphoric effects', says Rather, 'which many found more immediate and pleasurable compared to morphine'. 'It is easy to use, has higher potency, and the misconception that it was safer or more refined than other drugs only added to its appeal, despite its highly addictive nature.' 'Wired to seek one last shot' For addicts like Afiya, who has been admitted to rehab five times so far, the fight against heroin is a daily and uphill battle. 'Every time I leave the hospital, my body pulls me back to the streets,' she says. 'It's like my brain is wired to seek one last shot.' Afiya's intentions to recover remain uncertain. She has frequently left the hospital during rehab to seek heroin, or asked other patients for it during her daily walk at the hospital. 'Drug addicts have a way of connecting with each other,' Rabiya, her mother, tells Al Jazeera. 'I once saw her talking to a male patient in English and I realised she was asking him for drugs.' Rabiya says she once found drugs hidden behind the flush in a women's toilet. 'I found the stash and flushed it, but she [Afiya] still managed to get it [heroin] again,' she says. 'She knows how to manipulate the system to get what she wants.' A nurse at the SHMS rehab revealed how patients often bribed the security guards. 'They give them money or come up with excuses to leave, even while on medication,' says the nurse, requesting anonymity as she is not allowed to talk to the media. The female ward is near the hospital's entrance – that too makes it easier for patients to slip out unnoticed, she says. 'It's heartbreaking because we try to help, but some patients just find ways to leave.' 'She [Afiya] escaped one night and came back the next day, having spent hours with male patients who helped her get heroin,' says a security guard, who also did not wish to disclose his identity for fear of losing his job. But Afiya remains defiant. 'These medicines don't bring the peace I get from a single shot of heroin,' she tells Al Jazeera, her hands trembling and her nails digging into the hospital bed. The physical toll on her body due to addiction has been severe. Open wounds on her legs, arms and belly ooze blood. When Dr Mukhtar A Thakur, a plastic surgeon at SMHS, first examined her, he says he was shocked. 'She was unable to walk because of a deep wound on her private parts and a large scar on her thigh. She had serious health problems, including damaged veins and infected wounds. Her liver, kidneys and heart were also affected. She struggled with memory loss, anxiety and painful withdrawal symptoms, leaving her in a critical condition,' he says. Afiya's parents say bringing her to the rehab at SMHS was a desperate move. 'To protect her and the family's reputation, we told our relatives she was being treated for stomach issues and scars from an accident,' says Rabiya. 'No one marries a drug addict here,' she adds. 'Our neighbours and relatives already have doubts. They notice her scars, her unstable appearance and the repeated hospital visits.' Afiya's father says he often hides his face in public, 'unable to bear the shame'. Health experts say seeking treatment for drug addiction remains a challenge for Kashmiri women as social stigma and cultural taboos keep many women in the shadows. 'Rehabilitation for women is often done secretly because families don't want anyone to know, and in Kashmir, everybody knows everybody,' Dr Zoya Mir, a clinical psychologist who runs a clinic in Srinagar, tells Al Jazeera. 'Many wealthy families send their daughters to other states for treatment, while others either suffer in silence or delay treatment until it's too late,' she says. 'These women need compassion, not judgement. Only then can they begin to heal.' *Names have been changed to protect identities.
