Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Irtiqa Mufti seeks public support to ban liquor in J&K

Srinagar, Feb 24 (PTI) Irtiqa Mufti, the eldest daughter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, has taken a political stand against alcohol consumption in Jammu and Kashmir, and sought support from the public for the party’s campaign to ban liquor in the Union Territory.

In a video message on X seeking support for the PDP’s campaign to ban alcohol, Irtiqa Mufti said, “Please be a part of our fight against alcohol and addiction. Sign our digital signature campaign which I will be linking in my bio soon. And remember, the ban is just the beginning. If we truly want it to succeed, we need to educate people on the dangers of alcohol and drugs.”

“Instead of shunning addicts and leaving them to die, we need proper rehabilitation centres to help them heal. If you’re struggling with addiction, please reach out for help,” she said, adding that liquor and drugs were destroying the lives of the youth.

There was less crime in J-K, but now families are getting destroyed because of alcohol, she said in the message.

She also said that looking only at the government was not the solution, as a collective fight was needed to eradicate the menace.

“The responsibility lies with all of us to fight this menace together, and not just look towards the government. The government can only ban alcohol and deal sternly with the drug dealers,” she said.

The PDP has launched a signature campaign seeking support for a bill submitted in the assembly by Mir Mohammad Fayaz, the party MLA from Kupwara, seeking a complete ban on the distribution and consumption of liquor in Jammu and Kashmir.

The campaign was launched at the party headquarters by Mehbooba Mufti’s youngest daughter Iltija Mufti, who has been politically active for some time now and had unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections from Bijbehara last year.