The issue of liquor sale has hit Jammu and Kashmir, sparking a fresh controversy with the ruling National Conference and any opposition ingredients joined by JK CM Omar Abdullah at the centre.
Omar Abdullah answered a media query on the liquor policy for the 2026 celebrations while the ongoing anti-drug push was going on. He said alcohol consumption was a matter of personal choice and the government doesn’t force anyone to buy alcohol. He further noted that liquor outlets are established as people have personal or religious proclivities to drink liquor and no government in Jammu and Kashmir had ever imposed a complete prohibition.
His words soon sparked political footnote. The statement has drawn harsh criticism from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which says it goes against the essence of the anti-drug campaign, and urges the Federal Government to completely ban alcohol in the U.T. During a “Nasha Mukt Abhiyaan”, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi chief Sheikh Iltija Mufti challenged the government’s position on a number of issues and called the government of the day ‘inconsistent’.
She also questioned the lack of liquor prohibition in Muslim-majority areas or States like Jammu and Kashmir and pointed out that Jewish-majority States have banned alcohol and asked why there has not been any such prohibition in the Muslim-majority states. The controversy has helped to widen the political schism and debate remains on the issue of regulation versus prohibition in the region.