SRINAGAR : Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday strongly opposed the reported proposal to relocate liquor shops from the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway to residential areas around Pantha Chowk during the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, saying the move would undermine the social and moral fabric of the locality.
Addressing the Friday congregation at the historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar, Mirwaiz said a delegation from Pantha Chowk had met him and expressed serious concern over the reported relocation plan. According to him, the proposed sites are located in densely populated neighbourhoods with schools, mosques, educational institutions and public spaces, making the move unacceptable to local residents.
He said the government should be restricting the availability of alcohol rather than bringing liquor outlets closer to residential areas in a Muslim-majority region where alcohol consumption is prohibited by religion.
“The people of Kashmir will not accept the promotion and normalisation of alcohol in society,” Mirwaiz said, adding that alcohol damages individuals, families and society, particularly the youth.
Questioning the rationale behind the reported decision, Mirwaiz said that if liquor outlets were considered inappropriate along the Amarnath Yatra route out of respect for the pilgrimage, relocating them to residential areas inhabited by families whose faith also prohibits alcohol was equally unjustified.
“If liquor is considered inappropriate and harmful in both religions, why not ban it altogether? Respect for religious sentiments should not be selective or time-bound,” he said.
Mirwaiz said the residents of the affected Pantha Chowk areas had decided to protest against the proposed relocation and extended his full support to their agitation. He said people could not remain silent when decisions directly affected their homes, children and the moral environment of society.
He urged the administration to immediately withdraw the proposal and ensure that no liquor shop is opened or shifted near residential localities, schools, mosques or other public institutions. He also appealed to the authorities to take local sentiments into account and avoid decisions that, he said, were contrary to the religious and social ethos of Jammu and Kashmir.
