Hindustan National Social Security (HNSS).

A doctor couple Ghulam Nabi Wani and Hameeda Jan gave up their government jobs and private practice in 1998 to devote full time work for drug de addiction amongst youth in Kashmir Valley. “I did not know how to start and manage. I had no idea as to what an NGO meant until someone suggested me to start one”, says an energetic Dr. Wani.

Funded and supported by Ministry of Social Justice, Hindustan National Social Security (HNSS) came into being. Thereafter Hameeda enrolled into National Institute of Social Defense in New Delhi, T T Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation in Chennai plus several other de-addiction centers in New Delhi and came back to Srinagar quipped with manuals and guide books to fight the battle against drugs in Kashmir”, says Hameeda.

As the project was funded by Government of India, those who were challenging the Indian State threatened the couple to close the initiative and even threw grenade at their HNSS board. Threats and intimidation did not deter the couple and they continued their work. For them peace in the mind, family and society was the priority for they could clearly see the link between drugs, weapons, violence and human rights abuse.

To implement and achieve their target they trained their staff and went village to village in selected districts of the Kashmir Division to form groups or clusters. They used pamphlets, media, community leaders identified among the clusters and radio programs to spread their message, advertise about de-addiction in their centre, and keep follow ups to check any relapses.

Due to paucity of funds as their main source of funding remains entangled in bureaucratic road blocks, HNSS is for the time being concentrating on only soft cases that do not require admission. However their endeavor for peace continues. Dr. Wani is networking with other NGOs and civil society the root cause of drugs and weapons as well intake of pharmaceutical drugs over the counters by common people without any prescriptions. He feels rise in militancy in the 90s, the on going security situation, unemployment, peer group contribute for the growing demand. His agenda also includes to lobby and work towards legislation and implementing Drug Act in the State of Jammu and Kashmir as in integral step towards peacebuilding.