Shabir Ahmad
The Indian Army’s Chinar Corps (XV Corps) has emerged as a formidable force not just in securing Kashmir’s frontiers but also in waging a determined battle against the insidious drug trade that threatens to engulf the youth of Kashmir.
Under the banner of the national Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan—rechristened locally as Nasha Mukt Jammu & Kashmir Abhiyan—the Corps has seamlessly integrated counter-infiltration operations with grassroots awareness campaigns, delivering a “supply-and-demand” knockout punch to narco-traffickers.
Kashmir’s drug crisis is no secret. Heroin, opium derivatives, and cannabis are being pushed in from across the border, often intertwined with terror financing. Pakistani handlers exploit the LoC’s rugged terrain, using drones, human couriers, and hidden caches to pump in consignments worth crores.
Local consumption has spiralled, devastating families and derailing young lives. Yet, amid this challenge, the Chinar Corps—headquartered in Srinagar and responsible for the Kashmir Valley—has scripted a story of quiet resolve and visible impact.
The Corps’ primary weapon against narcotics is its ironclad counter-infiltration grid along the LoC. Operating in some of the world’s most inhospitable high-altitude terrain—from Kupwara’s Tangdhar to Baramulla’s Uri—troops maintain round-the-clock vigilance using a layered defence system.
Advanced surveillance technology, including thermal imagers, motion sensors on the fence, UAVs, and human intelligence from border villages, forms the backbone. Patrols are relentless; quick-reaction teams respond to suspicious movements within minutes. When intelligence flags a consignment, joint search operations with the J&K Police swing into action.
A textbook example unfolded in December 2024 in Amrohi village, Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district. Acting on specific inputs, Chinar Corps troops and police launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area near the LoC. They recovered approximately 4 kg of heroin-like narcotics, four pistols, six magazines, and other war-like stores—a classic “narco-terror” consignment meant to fund militancy and flood markets. The haul was destroyed under controlled conditions, preventing it from reaching Kashmir’s streets.
Similar successes dot the record. In Kupwara and Poonch sectors, Army units have repeatedly intercepted drone-dropped packets and courier routes, often recovering arms alongside drugs. These operations disrupt not just smuggling but the entire ecosystem linking cross-border handlers to local peddlers. In 2025 alone, over 4,400 kg of narcotics were seized across J&K, with the Army’s border vigilance playing a pivotal role in interdicting supplies before they penetrate deeper into the Valley.
Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava, GOC Chinar Corps, has repeatedly emphasised this synergy: the Army’s role extends beyond the fence to breaking the “narco-terror nexus” that Pakistan exploits to destabilise the region. By denying traffickers safe passage, the Corps has significantly reduced the inflow, forcing syndicates to rely on riskier, less effective routes.
While border operations tackle supply, the Chinar Corps’ “We Care” civic action programmes target demand—the very heart of the Nasha Mukt campaign. Recognising that awareness is the best vaccine, troops have conducted hundreds of outreach events across remote villages and schools.
In Kupwara’s Kandi, soldiers organised an anti-drug awareness camp at a government secondary school for over 200 students, complete with lectures and counselling on the perils of addiction. Similar programmes have unfolded in Baramulla’s Kunzer (with PHC doctors), Uri’s Salamabad Higher Secondary School (350+ students), and Pulwama’s Eidgah (500 students from 15 institutions). On the International Day Against Drug Abuse, the Corps blanketed Kashmir with seminars, pledging sessions, and youth rallies.
Women and youth are special focus areas. In Baramulla’s Dardkote, an interactive seminar with a local NGO addressed drug abuse alongside empowerment. In Uri, health awareness camps double as platforms to discuss de-addiction. The Corps also runs social media campaigns, felicitating young participants who spread the “Say No to Drugs” message online.
These efforts align closely with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s 100-day Nasha Mukt Jammu & Kashmir Abhiyan launched recently, which includes padyatras, mass awareness drives, and district mentors. The Army’s grassroots presence—through 28 Army Goodwill Schools and medical outreach—amplifies civilian initiatives, creating a unified front.
A young officer from the Chinar Corps said, “Our jawans stand guard on the LoC so that our children can dream without the shadow of addiction.” Such sentiment echoes across units, where troops view drug prevention as an extension of their duty to protect Kashmir’s future.
The results are tangible. Seizure figures are rising, while youth engagement in awareness drives has surged. Local communities report greater vigilance; many tip-offs now come from villagers who once stayed silent. The Corps’ dual strategy—hard interdiction at the border and soft persuasion in the hinterland—has earned praise from the civil administration and families alike.
As Kashmir joins the national Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan with renewed vigour, the Chinar Corps stands as a beacon of hope. In the words of its official handle, “There can either be life or there can be drugs, because both cannot go hand in hand.”
The road to a drug-free Kashmir is long, but with the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps leading from the front—rifle in one hand, outreach in the other—the Valley is inching closer to that dawn.
