SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq, while speaking to the media on the sidelines of a supermarket chain inauguration in Srinagar, reiterated the concerns he expressed during his Friday address at Jama Masjid regarding the growing menace of drug addiction and the need for a ban on alcohol.
Mirwaiz said that both drugs and alcohol deeply harm society and stressed that the government cannot justify acting against one while staying quiet on another. He stated that although Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority region where alcohol consumption is socially and religiously discouraged, several states in India with non-Muslim majorities have also imposed restrictions or bans on alcohol due to its damaging impact on society. The first step by the new govt in Tamil Nadu was to close down 700 liquor shops.
Reiterating his demand for a complete ban on alcohol, Mirwaiz said that the ongoing campaign against drug networks will not yield the desired results if action is not also taken against liquor, which is also destroying families. Besides Mirwaiz stressed that the drug campaign should not be region-biased and should not cause harassment to family members through home demolitions for the actions of one individual.