MANMOHAN DHAR
The drug menace in Punjab has long been a simmering crisis, but its roots stretch far beyond domestic boundaries. At the heart of the problem lies a sustained and insidious campaign of cross-border narcotics smuggling, with Pakistan emerging as a significant source and enabler of the drug pipeline that has ravaged communities in Indian Punjab.
Over the past two decades, Indian intelligence and law enforcement agencies have consistently flagged the increasing role of Pakistani drug syndicates, often backed by state and non-state actors, in pushing heroin, opium, and synthetic drugs across the border into Punjab. The porous nature of the international border, despite electrified fencing and surveillance, has made Indian Punjab particularly vulnerable. Narcotics are often smuggled through underground tunnels, drones, and via riverine routes, cleverly evading detection.
Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), along with Afghanistan’s opium-rich Helmand region, serve as the source hubs. From there, drugs make their way into Punjab through a well-organized network of couriers, middlemen, and local dealers, many of whom are lured by the promise of easy money in the face of limited economic opportunities.
The human cost of this narco-terrorism has been devastating in Indian Punjab. Once known for its vibrant culture and agrarian prosperity, Punjab today battles an alarming drug addiction crisis. Young people, particularly in rural areas, have fallen prey to heroin and synthetic drugs like chitta (a local term for adulterated heroin), leading to broken families, a rise in petty crimes, and increasing health issues including HIV/AIDS from shared needles.
Estimates suggest that nearly 1 in 3 households in some parts of Punjab are directly or indirectly affected by drug addiction. The crisis has strained the state’s healthcare system and in turn triggered public protests at a larger scale.
Pakistan’s role in creating this horrific situation is not just as a criminal enterprise but as a strategic maneuver. By flooding Punjab with narcotics, Pakistan aims to destabilize a crucial Indian border state that has historically been a bulwark of national security. This narco-offensive, according to analysts, is part of a hybrid warfare model-weakening India internally through addiction, while simultaneously funding terror operations through drug money.
Several terror outfits operating from Pakistani soil, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, are believed to be involved in narcotics trafficking. The proceeds from drug smuggling are often funneled into financing terrorist activities, creating a dangerous nexus of drugs, crime, and terrorism.
India has taken several steps to curb the narcotics flow-strengthening border security with more BSF deployments, installing drone jammers, and enhancing cooperation with international anti-drug agencies. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have intensified their crackdown on drug syndicates, but challenges remain.
The political establishment in Punjab has also stepped up its efforts in tackling the problem. Though results are very slow but resolve hasn’t faded. State authorities in tandem with the central agencies need to take up the issue on a war footing and eradicate the menace once and for all.
To tackle the crisis effectively, India at the same time must adopt a multi-pronged strategy: like strengthen border security with advanced technology and real-time surveillance. Enhanced international cooperation to track and dismantle cross-border drug networks. Invest in de-addiction and rehabilitation programs across Punjab with a focus on rural youth. Undertake anti-drug operations, ensuring that law enforcement remains impartial and professional. Simultaneously, India must continue to raise the issue of Pakistan’s role in global forums, calling out its dual-face policy of claiming peace while nurturing narco-terror networks besides its other terrorist activities.
The narcotics crisis in Indian Punjab is not just a law-and-order problem; it is a national security threat. The drug trail that begins in the poppy fields of Afghanistan and Pakistan ends in the broken homes and lost futures of Punjab’s youth. Combating this menace requires not only robust internal action but also unrelenting pressure on the external forces that fuel it. The future of a generation-and the stability of a vital border state-hangs in the balance.
But, on a positive note, India having made a strong and rigid resolve to tackle terrorism with a firm hand , it looks evident that drug menace also will be taken care of with the same firmness and a focussed approach both on state and central levels making Punjab a land of prosperity and vibrant cultural ethos.