‘Join hands to combat growing drug menace, save youth’

Srinagar, Apr 18: In a heartfelt appeal to religious and community leaders across Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Kaloo, Chairman of the Masjid Hassan (RA) Committee, Hyderpora area in Srinagar, has called for a united grassroots campaign to combat the growing drug menace in Kashmir.

Despite ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies, Kaloo sahab warned that drug abuse continues to claim the lives and futures of Kashmir’s youth at an alarming rate.

Speaking from the masjid premises near the Hyderpora flyover, Kaloo sahab urged Masjid committees across the Valley to form local squads of committed and conscientious youth volunteers. These teams, he said, should remain vigilant within their neighborhoods, identify individuals struggling with substance abuse, and assist them in accessing treatment and rehabilitation.

“Law enforcement alone cannot fight this war,” Kaloo sahab said. “We must recognise this as a collective responsibility. The drug mafia is destroying our younger generation, and as caretakers of this society, it is our moral and religious duty to intervene.”

Kaloo sahab emphasised that such community-driven surveys could prove critical in identifying victims early and ensuring they are treated with compassion rather than punished or shamed. “Rehabilitation, not rejection, is the key,” he said. “We need to bring these youth back from the edge with empathy and support.”

He also informed that Masjid Hassan (RA) Committee has already begun implementing the initiative at Hyderpora and appealed to other masjids to follow suit. “Let us remember that service to humanity is service to God,” Kaloo sahab added. “With collective effort and divine guidance, we can bring back those who have gone astray.”

In closing, Kaloo sahab invoked a prayer: “May Allah Almighty help us guide His derailed servants back to the right path. Aameen.”