Srinagar, June 10 -- By Mohammad Ilyas Bhat

I still remember the excitement surrounding the wedding of a young man in my extended family.

Two years ago, relatives gathered under one roof, prayers filled the air, and the rituals that generations of Kashmiris have cherished marked the beginning of what everyone hoped would be a long and happy marriage.

The marriage lasted barely a month.

Only afterward did the groom's family learn that the bride had been struggling with drug addiction, a serious issue that had remained hidden before the wedding. Trust collapsed almost immediately.

The dispute reached the courts, and the marriage ended in divorce.

A year later, a close friend experienced a similar shock. His son married a young woman f...