As the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly gears up for its upcoming budget session, legislators from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC) have introduced private member bills advocating a complete ban on alcohol in the Union Territory.
PDP MLA Fayaz Ahmad Mir from Kupwara and NC legislator Ahsan Pardesi argue that prohibiting liquor is essential to safeguarding Kashmir's cultural and religious identity.
Here is the Private Member’s Bill in the J&K Assembly seeking a complete ban on liquor which will be bill introduced in the upcoming assembly session by JKPDP senior leader & MLA Kupwara @MirMohdFayaz Sb. @jkpdp @YouthJKPDP @MehboobaMuftihttps://t.co/S2qPPTUWu5 pic.twitter.com/vXw72Ens4T
— MISSION PDP (@JKPDPian1) February 11, 2025
The two MLAs have said that alcohol consumption contradicts the region’s Sufi-Reshi traditions that have historically shaped its social and spiritual values.
Mir submitted his three-page bill to the Assembly Secretariat on Monday, the final date for lawmakers to propose legislation before the session begins in Jammu on March 3.
This session marks the first budget presentation under the Omar Abdullah-led NC government, which assumed office in October last year after six years of central rule.
The Assembly Secretariat, under Rule 32 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, has limited members to submitting a maximum of 10 starred and 10 unstarred questions. Additionally, under Rule 65(3), members were allowed to introduce up to three bills, with February 10 set as the deadline.
The proposed liquor ban has received backing from the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC).
“In view of the Kashmir Sufi traditions and the rising drug addiction, stringent measures are necessary to curb alcohol consumption,” senior Congress leader G N Monga told THE WEEK.
The demand for banning the sale of liquor in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to spark a debate in the assembly. It remains to be seen how the BJP will react to the demand.
Liquor is not widely sold in Kashmir, unlike Jammu where the traders dealing with liquor sales are already upset with the government for allowing outsiders to sell liquor.
In Kashmir, many liquor shops mostly owned by non-Muslims were shut in the '90s due to the dread of militancy. Militant groups like Allah Tigers had targeted the liquor shops and forced their closure. Many hotels in Kashmir are also without bars mainly due to religious and cultural reasons.
