Srinagar: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, president of the Hurrita Sammelan, on Friday created a “dry state like Gujarat” for J&K as he opposed the steps to open more liquor shops of the officers, claiming such steps that “a deliberate attempt to push our youth into a deliberate attempt”.Mirwiz said during a prayer at the Jamia Mosque in Srinagar on Friday, “J&K is a Muslim-Bahul region and the sale and consumption of liquor is against the principles of Islam.” The trigger was a protest against local people opening an liquor shop in Battamalu in Srinagar last day, which had not seen such outlets for decades.“If Gujarat can be declared a dry situation, there is no reason that Jammu and Kashmir should be exempted,” Mirwaiz said. This was the first call to protest in recent months on any issue of Mirwaiz, which is also the main cleric of Kashmir and has been put into the house arrest before Friday’s prayer in the last few months.Mirwaiz urged the state-led National Conference Sarkar and Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha to investigate the trend. “If the government does not work, we will be forced to protest. This is not a minor issue,” Mirwaiz said.Officials have linked new liquor licenses and shops with a surge in tourism, as after the cancellation of the special status of J&K under Article 370 of 2019. In the case of Batmalu, the producing authorities claimed the shop, now closed after the movement, not one new and transferred only from another region.Despite such protests, the sale of liquor in Jammu and Kashmir is increasing. The Economic Survey of Omar-led government estimated Rs 2,000 crore in 2024–25 earlier this year, which was 4% compared to the previous year.Mirwaiz rejected the argument that the sale of liquor was necessary for tourism, stating that J&K had welcomed visitors for centuries without promoting alcohol. “Has J&K 2019 (Article 370 cancellation) become a tourist place?Comparing with Gujarat, Mirwaiz insisted that liquor was banned due to its influence on the society and was asked why similar concerns were not valid for Jammu and Kashmir. “Do we don’t have any society? We don’t have to stay here,” said Mirwaiz.According to him, more than 1 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir are already affected by drug addiction and only the crisis will be increased by the government’s filling for the sale of alcohol.Some local Kashmiri Pandits, led by Sandeep Mawa, an activist, had recently demanded a ban on the sale of liquor in the valley. In March this year, PDP MLA Fayz Ahmed Mir introduced a private member’s bill, demanding such a ban in J&K. But the bill was not taken for discussion or voting in the assembly. The BJP has also expressed support for the ban, with former J&K party chief Ravinder Raina previously led the protests on the issue.
