SRINAGAR, Aug. 11 -- As security forces continue their fight against terrorism, the Srinagar police has launched a crackdown against drug abuse and trafficking that has led to the arrest of 97 people and the filing of 73 cases in the last three months.
Officials cite intelligence reports indicating that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), having failed in recruiting local youth for terrorism, is now actively promoting drug abuse to destabilise Kashmir's younger generation.
With intensified police crackdowns making heroin more difficult to obtain, addicted youth in Srinagar are increasingly turning to medical opioids as a substitute.
Dr. Mohammad Muzaffar Khan, who heads a local drug de-addiction centre, confirms this shift, say...