Bills propose prohibition on the advertisement, sale, purchase, consumption, and manufacture of alcoholic beverages across the Union Territory. BJP too backs efforts
Jammu and Kashmir legislators, cutting across party lines, moved Private Members’ Bills for the upcoming Assembly session starting from March 3, seeking a ban on alcohol sale in the Union Territory. Offering rare support, the Opposition BJP too backed the Bills.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s Kupwara MLA Fayaz Ahmad Mir, in a Private Member’s Bill, proposed “ prohibition on the advertisement, sale, purchase, consumption, and manufacture of alcoholic beverages across the Union Territory”.
“Rising alcohol consumption poses a serious societal threat, emphasising the need for strict legislation to counter the trend,” Mr. Mir pointed out. The Bill calls for harsh penalties, including imprisonment and fines, for violators.
Ruling National Conference’s Lal Chowk MLA Ahsan Pardesi too submitted a Private Members’ Bill “to ban alcohol”. “This Bill aims to preserve and uphold Kashmir’s rich and spiritual Sufi-Reshi heritage. Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority region and alcohol hurts the sensibilities of locals. When liquor is banned in Bihar why not Jammu and Kashmir?” Mr. Pardesi said.
He claimed that the unchecked sale of alcohol “disregards religious and cultural ethos of Kashmir”. “Our heritage has always stood against intoxicants. The Bill is a step toward preserving those values,” Mr. Pardesi said.
“Alcohol is not merely a personal indulgence; its repercussions reverberate across society. At a time when we are already grappling with a severe drug crisis, facilitating access to alcohol will only exacerbate the problem. If decisive action is not taken, it will erode the moral and social fabric of our communities,” he added.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), headed by Engineer Rashid, backed such Bills. “Mr. Rashid despite being incarcerated, continued to inspire the party’s fight for a ban on alcohol, online gaming and accountability in the education sector,” it said.
AIP spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said the party MLA Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad from Kupwara’s Langate constituency “was the first to submit a Bill in the J&K Legislative Assembly demanding a complete ban on alcohol”.
“Liquor has no place in our spiritually rich society. A land known as ‘Reshwa’er’ [the land of saints] should not be tainted by alcohol trade. Since 2009 Er Rashid has been fighting against this menace and AIP remains steadfast in its mission to declare Jammu and Kashmir a dry state,” Mr. Nabi said.
The AIP has urged the government and all members of the Assembly to support the Bill ensuring a ban on alcohol.
BJP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh extended his support to any legislation “aimed at banning alcohol across the Union Territory”.
“I fully support the Bill advocating for a ban on alcohol in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP never supported alcohol consumption and wherever our government was in power, we took strong measures against it,” Mr. Singh told a news portal in Jammu.
The U.T.’s Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi also supported such Bills. “If a Bill addressing such issues is introduced and implemented, it would be a good step. We need to protect young people from drug abuse,” she said
