Drugs from Pakistan ruining youth in Punjab: Sikh leader

A Sikh leader has accused Pakistan of targeting youth in Punjab by smuggling drugs.

Calling it a proxy war against Indian Punjab, Karnail Singh Peer Mohammed, a patron at All India Sikh Students Federation said, "The drugs are coming from Pakistan and it is becoming a challenge for us to control the drug supply".

He added, "It's a matter of "do or die" for us. Our children and youngsters are becoming increasingly addicted to drugs".

Recently, Punjab's anti-drugs Special Task Force seized 532kg of heroin, the biggest ever drug consignment, worth over Rs. 2,700 crore from a truck entering India from Pakistan through Attari.

The seizure of heroin brings to the fore the fact that drug peddlers in Pakistan are active and are desperately trying to push heroin into India.

According to Indian security agencies, Pakistan is also using countries in the neighbourhood, particularly Sri Lanka and the Maldives to pump drugs into India.

Karnail Singh laid emphasis on talks between New Delhi and Islamabad to stop drug menace as it is ruining the lives of youth in Punjab.

"Our government must speak with Government of Pakistan. We are facing a major loss. We don't have any other agenda except saving the youth of Punjab from the menace of drugs. It is forcing people to migrate from Punjab to other countries. Drug menace is a major issue for us", said Karnail Singh.

A 2015 study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi says that more than 200,000 people are addicted to drugs in Punjab state.

( With inputs from ANI )