SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 12: After PDP legislator Fayaz Ahmed Mir from Kupwara, National Conference (NC) MLA Ahsan Pardesi has submitted a private member bill in the Assembly, proposing a ban on alcohol in Kashmir and other Muslim-majority areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pardesi stated that the bill aims to safeguard the region’s cultural and religious values, emphasizing that alcohol consumption contradicts Kashmir’s deep-rooted Sufi-Reshi traditions.
“The unchecked sale of alcohol disregards our religious and social ethos. Our heritage has always stood against intoxicants, and this bill is a step toward upholding those values,” he said.
He further highlighted alcohol’s role in fueling crime, moral decline, and addiction, particularly among the youth. “At a time when we are battling a drug crisis, easy availability of alcohol will only worsen the situation,” he added.
The bill, spanning eight pages, is expected to be tabled in the upcoming Assembly session. Pardesi also pointed out that residents of Lal Chowk have repeatedly raised concerns over the disproportionately high concentration of liquor shops in their area compared to the rest of Kashmir.