Stresses “Govt alone cannot fix this; Society has vital role to play”; Commends LG for personally committing for Drug-Free Kashmir_
Srinagar, April 17: Handwara rose with a single voice on Friday as the Drug-Free India (Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan) campaign transformed into a powerful public assertion against the growing menace of addiction.
Scores converged at T-Junction Kargam, and what began as a march soon turned into a moving wave of resistance, flowing through Hospital Road, Main Chowk, and culminating at Degree College with one unambiguous message: Say No to Drugs.
At the center of this groundswell stood Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, who elevated the campaign beyond a routine government program into a deeply personal and societal reckoning. His words cut through rhetoric, rooted not in abstraction but in lived realities that many in the crowd could recognize, if not openly admit.
Lone painted a stark and painful picture of addiction, not as an individual failing but as a collective tragedy that engulfs entire families.
He spoke of homes collapsing under the weight of despair, of parents abandoning livelihoods to chase hope in distant rehabilitation centers and of the unbearable grief of burying their own children.
“A child who gets addicted to drugs becomes a curse for that entire family,” he said, his voice carrying both anguish and urgency. “It consumes that family and ruins lives.”
Stripping the issue of any embellishment, he posed a piercing question to the gathering, “What kind of life is it to live enslaved to drugs, to a syringe? What dignity remains in such an existence?” The silence that followed was as telling as the applause that preceded it.
Moving from the gravity of the crisis to the path forward, Lone made it clear that this battle cannot be outsourced to the state alone. He called for a societal awakening while placing responsibility on every layer of the community including mosques, schools, mohalla committees and families.
In a direct appeal to religious leaders, he urged that every Friday sermon reinforce a clear, uncompromising message that drug abuse is completely haram, with no moral ambiguity.
On the systemic front, he drew from his administrative experience to highlight critical gaps, particularly the absence of adequate rehabilitation infrastructure.
Stressing the urgency, he called for at least one fully functional rehabilitation center in every district, backed by trained counselors who can address not just the addiction, but the psychological scars that accompany it. While acknowledging the broader governmental push, he credited the Lieutenant Governor for his personal involvement and commitment to safeguarding the youth of Kashmir.
The moment reached its peak not in words, but in collective resolve. Lone turned to the crowd and ignited a chant—“Say No To Drugs!”—each echo growing louder, more defiant, until it reverberated across the grounds.
