Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwiaz Umar Farooq on Thursday called for a complete ban on the sale and consumption of drugs and liquor in Kashmir.
He said Kashmir valley has remained a pious land for ages and had been an abode of saints and religious scholars.
In a statement issued here today, Mirwaiz said there was no justification for allowing drug and liquor menace to grow in Kashmir on the pretext that it was essential for economy by relating it to tourism sector.
“Permission should not be granted to such trades as they are not only against Islamic values but are also universally accepted as hazards and dangerous for human life and destructive for family peace and prosperity,” he said.
He said that the government had no justification in allowing the liquor sale as authorities in Gujarat and Bihar had brought stringent laws to put a complete ban on liquor despite the fact that sale and consumption of liquor earned Rs 4000 crore annually to the Bihar government.
Mirwaiz said a meeting would be called soon in which religious scholars, Masjid Imams and heads of religious groups would participate to frame a collective and effective strategy to fight this menace.
He said parents, heads of educational institutions, religious group advisors, scholars and Imams of Masjids had a responsibility not only to bring awareness among the people about the harmful effects of drugs and liquor but also to strive for a complete ban on its sale and consumption.
