Kashmir’s Iltija Mufti Pushes for a Prohibition Legacy

Iltija Mufti, a rising voice in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, launched a signature campaign on Saturday to rally support for a total ban on alcohol in the union territory, thrusting a contentious social issue into the political spotlight. Standing at the PDP’s headquarters in Srinagar, Ms. Mufti decried the “ravaging” toll of alcohol and drugs on Kashmiri families, framing her initiative as both a moral crusade and a call to action ahead of a looming legislative battle.

The campaign, which unfolded from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., was initially slated for Sher-e-Kashmir Park but shifted indoors after police barred the party from the public venue—a move Ms. Mufti cast as evidence of official unease. “Drugs and alcohol are spreading like wildfire,” she told reporters, her voice cutting through a crowd of supporters and a heavy police presence outside the office. She pointed to a private member’s bill introduced by PDP lawmaker Mir Mohammad Fayaz, set for debate in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly’s budget session starting March 3, which seeks to outlaw the sale, purchase, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Ms. Mufti, 37, has pegged her appeal to a blend of practicality and principle. “If Gujarat and Bihar can be dry states, why not J&K?” she said, invoking India’s prohibition precedents while noting the region’s Muslim-majority population, whose religious sensibilities, she argued, should weigh on policymakers. The issue, she insisted, transcends politics: “This is not about scoring points—it’s about saving our youth.” Yet the timing, just months after her electoral debut and loss in the October 2024 assembly polls, has fueled speculation about her bid to carve a distinct political identity within a party struggling to regain its footing.

The PDP, once a dominant force in Kashmiri politics with 28 seats in 2014, slumped to just three in the latest election, a bruising setback for a party that ruled in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) until 2018. Ms. Mufti’s campaign arrives as Jammu and Kashmir grapples with rising substance abuse—a crisis she and others attribute partly to the proliferation of liquor shops since the region’s special status was revoked in 2019, shifting it to direct central control. Official data is scarce, but local accounts of addiction’s toll have lent urgency to her rhetoric.

The proposal isn’t without precedent—or resistance. Similar bills from both PDP and the ruling National Conference (NC) await debate, though the NC faced blowback last week when its spokesman, Tanvir Sadiq, suggested weighing a ban’s impact on tourism, a vital economic lifeline. Ms. Mufti seized the moment, urging cross-party backing. “I hope NC, PC, and even BJP support this,” she said, casting it as a rare chance for unity on a social ill plaguing a region still scarred by decades of conflict and political upheaval.

Critics, however, see opportunism. Some on social media have questioned whether the campaign is a genuine stand or a calculated pivot for a party—and a leader—seeking relevance after electoral routs. Others note the practical hurdles: enforcement in a territory with a porous border and a history of underground markets could prove elusive, much as it has elsewhere in India.

For now, Ms. Mufti’s effort has struck a chord with some locals, who braved the cold to sign on at the PDP office, praising her focus on a creeping crisis. “Alcohol is tearing families apart,” said Mohammad Ashraf, a shopkeeper who joined the line. Whether that sentiment translates to law remains uncertain—the assembly’s response will test both her influence and the region’s appetite for prohibition. As Kashmir navigates its fragile post-2019 reality, Ms. Mufti’s campaign marks a bold, if polarizing, step onto a larger stage.