Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha's administration has arrested more than 1,000 alleged drug peddlers halfway through the 100-day anti-drug campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, with the crackdown increasingly resembling the intensity of the Union Territory’s drive against militancy.

Sinha, who is touring the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday launched a padyatra (foot-march) in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, where he said more than 1,000 alleged drug smugglers and peddlers had been arrested in the 51 days of the campaign.

The campaign is the top priority of his administration, alongside the unrelenting campaign against militancy. Hundreds of soldiers, paramilitary and police forces are busy conducting a massive operation against militants in Rajouri district, with no breakthrough in sight on the 10th day of the operation on Monday.

A banned Jamaat-e-Islami splinter group, the Justice and Development Front (JDF), on Monday joined Sinha’s campaign in Kulgam, in a fresh sign of how its leaders were cosying up to the administration while the group faces a relentless government crackdown.

"Over the past 51 days, we have carried out extensive, coordinated operations against narco-terrorists and drug traffickers. With a whole-of-government approach, we are dismantling networks that have become entrenched,” the LG told a crowd of mostly government employees and students from government schools.

"It is pertinent to mention that 923 FIRs have been registered against drug traffickers in the last 51 days. More than 1,000 drug smugglers and peddlers have been arrested. Over 55 traffickers have been detained under PIT-NDPS (Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act), which allows holding offenders without bail up to 12 months."

The LG said his administration had also cancelled 668 driving licences and recommended the revocation of 124 passports. "The fight against drugs is not limited to raids and arrests. The administration is also working on breaking the supply chain, generating public awareness and working towards dignified rehabilitation for those suffering from addiction."

The campaign has ruffled feathers in Kashmir, with several politicians, including health minister Sakina Itoo, accusing the LG's administration of disproportionately targeting Kashmiris while Jammu reportedly has more addicts. The LG called the campaign a "people's movement" which has "connected every heart across Jammu Kashmir with a shared purpose to make their village, their town drug-free".