Opinion | Human Trafficking in Pakistan: The Burning Problem of Drugs and Its Spillover into India

Today, that country is rotting, politically unstable, economically bankrupt, and morally hollow. Flooded streets, unpaid loans, assassinations in broad daylight. This is not a random storm. This is karma. Call it divine justice or cosmic balance, but Pakistan is now answering for what it did to Kashmir. God does not forget. Nor does history.

There was a time when Pakistan fired bullets into the hearts of Kashmiris. Now, it is injecting poison into their veins. From AK-47s to heroin packets, Pakistan’s modus operandi has changed, but the intent remains the same: to destroy Kashmir. Let us not forget. The same Pakistan that pretended to be a messiah of Kashmir was a merchant of death. It fed our youth with false dreams, turned our brothers into terrorists, and sent them to sleep in graves. While they chanted slogans of “Azaadi,” it was Pakistan that shackled us. Every drop of blood spilled in Kashmir was a calculated move in Pakistan’s long game of terrorism. Today, that country is rotting, politically unstable, economically bankrupt, and morally hollow. Flooded streets, unpaid loans, assassinations in broad daylight. This is not a random storm. This is karma. Call it divine justice or cosmic balance, but Pakistan is now answering for what it did to Kashmir. God does not forget. Nor does history.
But just when we thought the guns had gone silent, a new war began. One without bullets. One far more sinister. A war of narcotics. A war that does not make noise but kills slowly, quietly, in homes, in hearts, and kills futures. Let us be clear. Post-2019, when Article 370 was abrogated and Kashmir’s integration with India became a legal and moral reality, our youth made a choice. They said no to terror. No to guns. No to bloodshed. That day was the biggest slap on Pakistan’s face because the same boys they once armed now want books, jobs, and peace. So, what does Pakistan do? It opens another front. Drugs. In the last few years, India’s border forces have intercepted several narco-terror networks smuggling heroin and synthetic drugs into Punjab and Kashmir. Just recently, a key smuggler in Kupwara was caught with narcotics worth crores. His phone was traced, and guess what — frequent contact with handlers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Another case in Uri involved a duo smuggling heroin and grenades in school bags. From Punjab’s Ferozepur to J&K’s Baramulla, the pattern is loud and clear. This is not just drug smuggling. It is a psychological war against India’s youth.
Pakistan has turned human trafficking into a state-sponsored industry. Poor villagers in PoK are lured with money, used as mules, and made to cross borders with drug packets stitched into their jackets. The cartels are no longer just criminal gangs. They are tied directly to Pakistan’s ISI and terror outfits like LeT and JeM. One hand gives the injection. The other pulls the trigger. Both belong to Pakistan. But here is the twist in the tale. This plan is failing, too. Just because the Indian government, the security forces, and most importantly, the people are fighting back. Local Masjids and Mohalla committees are now part of awareness drives. Anti-drug campaigns are echoing in schools and colleges. The Narcotics Control Bureau and J&K Police are cracking down like never before. Rehabilitation centres are being built. We are no longer ignoring the problem. We are confronting it head-on. And what about the youth? The same youth that Pakistan tried to radicalize are now leading the resistance. From Sopore to Shopian, we are seeing boys form anti-drug squads, reporting peddlers, and raising their voices. This is the new face of Kashmir. And this is the nightmare Pakistan never anticipated. Pakistan’s game is exposed. Their fantasy of capturing Kashmir with bullets failed. Now their dream of destroying us with drugs is collapsing too. The time has come to call it out for what it is — narco-terrorism. A deliberate, orchestrated, evil campaign to rot a society from within. But Pakistan forgot one thing. Kashmiris are no longer asleep. We are wide awake. And this time, we are not just defending our land. We are reclaiming our destiny. The war may be silent. But the resistance is roaring. I am ending my article with just two lines.
“Kisi ke saath bura karke tum bhool jaate ho,
Waqt yaad rakhta hai, waqt hisaab deta hai.”
(You wrong someone and forget it,
Time remembers. Time settles the score.)
The Writer is a student activist and can be reached at soulofkashmir1@gmail.com