Imams across Kashmir on Friday used their weekly sermons to educate the public about the escalating drug abuse crisis in the region. This collective action follows a major initiative by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to enlist religious leaders as frontline advocates in combating heroin and other drug addiction. Over 100 mosque Imams and religious leaders in the Srinagar district are formally roped in to use Friday sermons to spread awareness, destigmatize addiction, and encourage medical treatment.
Imam Altaf, today in a local mosque, gave Islamic and Quranic references and preached to people about drug abuse and its prohibition in Islam. He appealed to people that if they have to follow Islam, they should raise their voice against drug abuse, drug trade, and if someone is addicted, help him to come out of this menace. He made people aware that Islam did not allow any kind of Intoxication
Altaf Hussain, Imam, said, “Our religion clearly distinguishes between what is good and what is harmful. The Quran categorically prohibits involvement in drug addiction, and our Prophet has entrusted us with the responsibility to guide people away from wrongdoing. Whether through sermons or public outreach, we must uphold and follow the teachings of Islam. If such harmful practices are taking place in our society, our faith requires us to speak about them openly. Along with sermons, we must also use platforms like social media to reach more people and make them aware of the serious harm caused by drugs.”
Recently, in a significant development in the fight against drugs Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), which frames addiction as a treatable disease rather than a moral failing, has encouraged early intervention. With the help of the Kashmir authorities, around 100 imams and Islamic scholars were roped in to fight against narco terrorism in Kashmir.
This grassroots mobilisation is part of a broader “three-stage strategy” focusing on awareness, identifying victims, and professional rehabilitation through de-addiction centers. According to the Jammu and Kashmir administration, faith-based outreach has consistently proven effective in engaging larger sections of society and ensuring tangible impact at the grassroots level.
They are sure that the message through Friday sermons that drug consumption is strictly prohibited in all religions and people should be aware that addiction, besides being a disease, is also a sin.
Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. “Our intention was to show that faith plays a significant role in this, and religious scholars also have a major role to play, because there are many aspects of society where people tend to trust things more readily when they hear them from religious scholars like in Friday sermons they talk about societal issue so if they talk on drug dedication also that is also important, we got response from religious scholars and they too said how it’s banned in religion also and they will actively participate with us in this campaign. First, we have started from Srinagar and have approached the imams across Srinagar, and now we are trying to go to the district level to reach the ground of this problem. We have sharedthe helpline number with the imams also, so that they also circulate.”
The sermons address a critical situation where official data suggests nearly 13 lakh people in the Union Territory are affected by drug abuse, a number that has doubled since 2022. The key goal of civil society and government is to shift the community’s perception that addiction is not only a disease but a “sin.”
Peer Muhammad Hussain, Imam, said, ”Islam categorically rejects such practices, and we fully support the administration in its efforts. We use the Friday prayer platform to address this issue and commend the administration for taking steps to eradicate it. The Quran clearly states that all forms of intoxication, including drugs and alcohol, are prohibited. We will ensure that this message is conveyed not only during Friday prayers but through every prayer, so that people truly understand the seriousness of the issue.”
Jammu and Kashmir has 13 lakh people, mostly in the age of 18-30, who are drug addicts. This figure has nearly doubled over the past three years, rising from about 60 thousand in 2022. Heroin has emerged as the most used substance, with a dependency rate of nearly 95 percent among users.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, working tirelessly to curb narco-terrorism, have made hundreds of arrests and attached hundreds of properties linked to drug dealers. In 2025, the police invoked the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act against several notorious drug traffickers.
As part of a major crackdown, around 1,000 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act, leading to the arrest of nearly 1,400 individuals. Properties worth over Rs. 70 crore have been attached in NDPS cases. More than 120 such properties were identified, of which 40 have already been permanently seized. Security forces have confirmed that Pakistan remains the primary source of drug trafficking into the Kashmir region. This shift became evident following a decline in active terrorism and a complete halt in local recruitment.
Frustrated by these setbacks, terror handlers across the border increasingly turned to pushing narcotics among the youth of the Valley. The proceeds generated from this drug trade are used to finance narco-terrorism, and substance abuse makes young people more vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation for terror-related activities.
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