The increase in drug use in Kashmir is perhaps reflected in the dramatic growth in the number of patients at one of its main drug treatment centres, from 489 in 2016 to more than 5,000 today. According to the United Nations Drug Control Programme, one in a hundred people in the Kashmir Valley, which has a population of 7 million, are addicted to drugs. The Indian government is in the process of setting up eight new addiction treatment centres.“Decades ago, drug consumption was low, but since 2010, after the protests and killings, I saw more and more people turn towards drugs.”
A man is sniffing heroin on a chocolate wrapper in Srinagar, Kashmir. Photo: Mir Yasir Mukhtar
Indian paramilitary troopers check a vehicle during a random search in Srinagar on Nov. 10, 2021. Photo: TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP
“Once, I drove some 66 kilometres to bring 4 kilograms of heroin stored in my kid’s bag. As I reached near a checkpoint, the police already had a tip against me and a cop pointed his finger towards me. My legs started to shiver, but I managed to escape.”Most drug dealers in Kashmir including Javed gained an opportunity in the pandemic to deal and smuggle drugs from other areas of the valley. “The last two years have given rise to [addictions] all over the valley at a ratio of 7:10,” Javed said. “That means 70 percent of the young population has been addicted to drugs, which, as a result, has lifted sales in both smuggling and dealing drugs all over the valley.”In August 2019, the Indian government revoked the special autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic prompted lockdowns that made it difficult for the Jammu and Kashmir Police to raid homes in search of drug dealers. The dealers then took the opportunity to sell their wares unrestrained, and they introduced heroin to the region.“If you know the art of talking at state checkpoints, you can easily trade drugs.”
As the demand for drugs rose, so did production. By the time heroin joined the mix, drug trafficking had increased significantly. “There are specific people with a lot of power in the drug trade at the Pakistani, Afghani and Indian borders. The supply chain works through two channels: one, from a main dealer to their sub-dealers, and two, to small peddlers who later sell it in their localities,” Javed said. “I never chose this path wilfully, but when you live under such harsh conditions and you need to feed your kin, this is the only option left for someone like me,” he said. Originally a user himself, he started selling drugs on the side at age 15. After he and his wife had their first child, drug dealing became his primary source of income.“The frequent lockdowns have increased our business, and the past two years have created a shadowy wall which dealers hide behind and easily sell drugs.”
Used syringes are scattered across this graveyard overlooking Srinagar city, Kashmir. Graveyards have become a hotspot for drugs users at night. Photo: Mir Yasir Mukhtar
Discarded drug paraphernalia in Srinagar, Kashmir. Photo: Mir Yasir Mukhtar
“The reason for quitting this heroin addiction wasn’t coming from any specific pressure but for medical reasons. Due to the consumption of heroin, I have hepatitis C, and if I hadn’t stopped, I would have died far sooner,” he said.Javed, too, knows that he must stop soon. At some point, the law would catch up on him. “They might catch me one day, and I worry about my daughters,” he said.“The reality is drugs lead to one’s life destruction. The tip of the knife is always at my neck, but I risk my life to sell drugs under such hard conditions because I don’t know how to do anything else,” he added. Although aware of his trade’s deleterious consequences, Javed feels trapped, unable to find other ways to support his family.“Hundreds of poor men like me aren’t happy being a drug dealer for the society or even for their family. This is a calamity I have been webbed in, and I can’t escape. I know that I might get caught one day, but until that day, I will be the saviour to my family.”Follow Mir Yasir Mukhtar on Twitter and Instagram.“I never chose this path wilfully, but when you live under such harsh conditions and you need to feed your kin, this is the only option left for someone like me.”