Those involved in drug menace have strong network: Geelani

Srinagar: In a stimulating message to the nation, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Wednesday said that “our worthy land of natural beauty is bleeding for the last 7 decades. Death and destruction has knocked every soul.”
“Engulfed in the gloom and miseries is now facing a new and unique monster of drugs, running deep in the society threatening its existence,” he said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.
Health experts and institutions reveal horrifying data, no sane person loves to believe. After 2015 there is addition of more than 6 thousand drug addicts every year which indicates a good number of teenage girls, enough to demolish any social fabric to rubble without anybody knowing it.
He said that those involving in this menace have a strong and active network, able to creep to the deepest core of society. Highway dabas tea shops in the vicinity of educational institutions, shrines and masjids, with their heavy rush of people are thriving herbs for these inhuman and immoral activities. 8th to 12th standard students are more vulnerable.
Calling liquor mother of all evils, pro-freedom leader said that 2.5 million people die annually only because of liquor, but this poison is available in open market so freely and easily that even a juvenile can get it. “Drugs not only endanger life but cripple a person financially also, as youngsters start it as a timely pleasure, but within a short span of time they are so dependent on it, that he or she can go to any limit to get it,” he said.
Geelani said “daily deaths, custodial killings, physical torture in jails, injured in peaceful protests, uncertain and unknown future, judicial onslaught, attending police stations and courts to get rid of filed cases has already suffocated our youth and now menace of drugs seems to be last nail in the coffin, and before this evil destroys the basics of our culture, our identity, our faith and our social network—it needs to be dealt with a heavy hand.”
Hailing the recent efforts of Ulma, Geelani said that this epidemic has to be addressed at various levels, which include domestic, village & mohalla, district and state level. “Parents have a huge responsibility to keep an eye on the activities, behavioral changes, extracurricular and outside assignments of their kids, their friend circle and whenever they feel any change, they need to nip the evil in the bud, otherwise they lose control of their wards. Educational institution, teachers and their owners should ensure that no suspected individuals, a tuck shop near schools are allowed. Teachers need to educate students about this catastrophic social evil,” he added.
He said “likewise well known, respectable citizens in mohallas should keep an eye on the youngsters and our imams and khateebs get an opportunity to talk on every Friday, they too should apprise the society about this fast growing epidemic, engulfing our youth, we cannot afford to lose our generation to drugs as we have already paying a heavy price for daring to stand for our basic and fundamental rights. To pin hopes on police and administration seems to be irrational.”
“Our ‘active’ police by the help of a vast and gross root information network, nab the pro-freedom youth within hours—but this drug and liquor mafia is flourishing day by day under the watchful eyes of law enforcing agencies, otherwise huge security grid should have acted as a deterrent for any social evil,” he said.
He said that liquor is available in camps and youth in adjourning areas have easy access to it. Unless deep root of this menace is unearthed and struck hard, spreading epidemic cannot be controlled by treating the apparent symptoms only, he added.