Ganderbal, June 6 -- Under the sweeping canopy of the majestic Chinar trees along the banks of the Sindh at Qamriya Park in Ganderbal, scores gathered on Friday to take a solemn pledge to stand united against drug addiction and shield the next generation.

Since morning, people from across Ganderbal, including remote villages of the home constituency of chief minister Omar Abdullah, poured in to join the padyatra (foot march) led by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. As Sinha arrived, the crowd stood to wave in appreciation, setting the tone for the final leg of a campaign that has traversed all 10 districts of the Kashmir division.

Breaking the nexus

The administration backed its rhetoric with hard enforcement data from...