Opinion | Narco -terrorism and Drugs in Srinagar City

What is terrorism? Definitions typically feature violence or threats against civilians to provoke terror, intimidate populations, or compel governments. Acts often aim beyond immediate victims to influence broader society or policy through fear. Non-state actors are commonly implicated, distinguishing from state warfare.

According to me, Terrorism is the antithesis of peace and harmony. One cannot co-exist with the other, so one of them has to go, and in most cases what ends up happening is that the terror prevails and takes the place of peace and harmony, which in turn feeds the cycle of terrorism. Terrorism can be of various types, and can include various methodologies like guns, bombs, economic crash outs, destabilisations, or illicit drugs but the goals remain the same. Just like any city in the world, Srinagar city has seen its fare share of terrorism, but especially in the recent years the Narco-Terrorism. Narco-terrorism refers to “the use of drug trafficking profits to finance terrorist activities or the direct involvement of terrorist groups in narcotics production and distribution. The term blends narco-trafficking violence with terrorism, often targeting government officials or civilians to protect illicit operations or advance political agendas”.

Terrorism is commonly understood as violence or intimidation aimed at civilians to generate fear and destabilize society. Its effectiveness lies not only in physical harm but in its ability to fracture collective confidence and emotional security. While traditional images of terrorism involve weapons and explosions, modern forms often operate invisibly, embedding themselves within everyday life. One such form is narco-terrorism. Narco-terrorism is not simply about drugs or addiction. It is about the calculated circulation of substances within a vulnerable population, where harm is not accidental but instrumental. It represents a shift from overt confrontation to psychological erosion, from public spectacle to private collapse. In cities like Srinagar, this shift carries particular weight. Srinagar has lived under prolonged uncertainty for decades. Generations have grown up surrounded by instability, interrupted education, restricted mobility, and recurring trauma. This has created a population with high emotional load and limited outlets for release. Narco-terrorism does not create this vulnerability. It recognizes it, studies it, and exploits it.

Unlike random drug abuse, narco-terrorism is marked by pattern and persistence. Substances appear in specific localities, circulate among particular age groups, and survive despite crackdowns and awareness drives. This endurance points toward systems rather than accidents. Drugs do not sustain themselves in a society without supply chains, protection, and silence. The illicit nature of narco-terrorism lies not only in the substances themselves but in the ecosystem that allows them to move, settle, and multiply. These networks do not rely on chaos alone. They rely on fatigue—emotional, institutional, and social. When people are tired of conflict, they become easier to numb. When hope is fragile, escape becomes attractive.

Psychologically, this form of terrorism attacks the inner life. It dulls anger, ambition, empathy and promotes exhibitionism. A sedated population is not a peaceful one; it is a disoriented one. Addiction blurs memory, fractures attention, and weakens long-term thinking. Over time, this has consequences beyond the individual. It reshapes collective behavior. Young people are the primary targets, not coincidentally. Youth represents energy, questioning, and continuity. When addiction spreads among students, workers, and first-time voters, it quietly interrupts generational momentum. Futures are not destroyed in one moment. They are postponed indefinitely, which is often more effective. Families sense this disruption but struggle to name it. What appears as personal failure or moral decline is often the outcome of engineered availability. Parents blame themselves. Communities blame individuals. Meanwhile, the machinery that feeds this cycle remains faceless and distant. This misdirection is central to narco-terrorism’s success. When addiction is framed purely as a personal or cultural problem, the larger design disappears from view. The narrative shifts from “Why is this happening?” to “What is wrong with them?” This deflection protects those who benefit from disorder.

On a societal level, widespread substance abuse weakens informal resistance structures. Social trust declines. Collective action becomes harder. Public engagement shrinks. A population preoccupied with survival, withdrawal, or shame has little energy left for participation or questioning. This is not incidental. It is functional. Narco-terrorism also thrives in ambiguity. Its actors do not issue statements or claim responsibility. Its outcomes are measured quietly—in rising overdoses, absenteeism, domestic breakdown, and psychiatric cases. These indicators rarely make headlines but accumulate silently.

Emotionally, the damage is profound. Addiction replaces meaning with routine and urgency. It narrows life to craving and relief. Over time, this produces a community marked by emotional flattening—less outrage, less joy, less belief in change. Such a psychological climate is easier to manage, influence, and fragment. Importantly, narco-terrorism does not eliminate violence; it transforms it inward. Instead of confrontation between forces, the battle is fought inside bodies and minds. The casualties are not only users but families, caregivers, and institutions stretched beyond capacity.

Addressing this phenomenon requires more than awareness campaigns. Awareness assumes ignorance. Narco-terrorism persists despite awareness, suggesting intent rather than accident. Any meaningful response must therefore consider why the flow continues, not only how to reduce demand. At the same time, resisting narco-terrorism cannot rely solely on force. Excessive coercion risks deepening alienation and pushing the problem further underground. What is required is a dual approach: exposing the structural nature of the crisis while rebuilding emotional resilience at the ground level. Mental health support, community rehabilitation, and youth engagement are not soft responses. They are counter-strategies. They disrupt the logic of narco-terrorism by restoring agency, clarity, and connection. A society that can feel, reflect, and organize is harder to sedate.

Srinagar’s encounter with narco-terrorism is not merely a public health issue, nor solely a security concern. It is a quiet contest over the inner life of a city. One side profits from numbness and fragmentation. The other depends on awareness, cohesion, and emotional strength. Peace, in this context, is not just the absence of conflict. It is the refusal to allow despair to be distributed as a substance. When a society begins to recognize addiction not only as a personal tragedy but as a manufactured vulnerability, it takes the first step toward reclaiming itself.

Email: sarmadhilal07@gmail.com