REPORTER:-ZARGAR ISHFAQ GOWHAR dna special: Drinking like a fish, J&K wants to become a dry state Thursday, Sep 26, 2013, 7:41 IST | Place: Srinagar | Agency: DNA No cheers please, we are Kashmiris! Muslim clergy have launched a signature campaign to mount pressure on the Omar Abdullah government to ban the sale and consumption of liquor in the Muslim-majorityJammu and Kashmir. Main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker has also submitted a private member bill for declaring J&K as dry state. Led by Karwan-e-Islami(KeI), one of the largest religious organisations in J&K, the signature campaign has seen overwhelming response in the Valley. In the first three days, the organisation has collected 70,000 signatures. KeI has fixed a target of 20 lakh signatures which they want to collect in next two months in a bid to build a case for total prohibition in J&K, which is the only Muslim majority state in the country. Technology has also come handy for the clerics who have started a window on their website to woo youth for the campaign. “The signature campaign is a part of our awareness campaign seeking ban on liquor in Jammu and Kashmir. We have also started a website where people can also register their vote. We will be updating the data every week,” Moulana Ghulam Rasool Hami, chairman of KeI, told dna. Official figures reveal that around 4.96 crore bottles of of liquor were sold in Jammu and Kashmir in 2012-13 compared to 4.66 crore bottles in 2011-12. J&K sold 4.33 crore bottles of liquor in 2010-11. Though most of the liquor is consumed in the Jammu region, the restive Kashmir Valley too has seen a surge in the booze sale and consumption despite the ban imposed by the ultras. Liquor vends had closed in Kashmir after ‘Allah Tigers’ issued a blanket ban on its sale and consumption in 1989 when militancy started in Kashmir. The outfit had even ransacked and looted the liquor shops forcing all of them to close down instantly. Alarmed by the increase in the sale and consumption of liquor, PDP MLA from Lolaab constituency Abdul Haq Khan has submitted a bill in the assembly secretariat seeking total prohibition in Jammu and Kashmir. “It is shocking that even school going children and minors are consuming liquor. Therefore, I have submitted a bill in the assembly seeking ban on the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor in the state. For few hundred crores we cannot destroy our society. If Gujarat can be dry state, why can’t Jammu and Kashmir, Khan questioned while talking to dna. The liquor flow Liquor shops had closed in Kashmir after ‘Allah Tigers’ issued a blanket ban on its sale and consumption in 1989 when militancy started in Kashmir. The outfit had even ransacked and looted the liquor shops forcing all of them to close down instantly Still, Official figures reveal that around 4.96 crore bottles of of liquor were sold in Jammu and Kashmir in 2012-13 compared to 466 crore bottles in 2011-12. J&K sold 4.33 crore bottles of liquor in 2010-11 Now, Karwan-e-Islamiwants to collect 20 lakh signatures to build a case for total prohibition in J&K, the only Muslim majority state in the country.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 02:43:39 +0000
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