Kargil seminary wants new liquor policy shelved, warns of protests

The Jamiat Ul Ulama Isna Asharia Kargil (JUIAK), an influential seminary in Ladakh’s Kargil region, on Sunday (June 7, 2026) warned of protests if the Lieutenant Governor’s administration failed to withdraw the new excise policy.

“If liquor is allowed to be sold or consumed openly in Kargil, the organisation, along with the public, would be compelled to launch democratic and peaceful protests against the move,” said JUIAK general secretary Sheikh Ibrahim Khalili and political in-charge Sajjad Kargili.

The organisation called upon religious scholars, community leaders, and social organisations “to raise awareness among the public about the harmful effects of drugs and liquor”.

Demanding “immediate withdrawal of the policy”, the JUIAK leaders said, “Promotion of liquor sales is against the cultural, social, and religious values of the people of Ladakh.”

They said liquor has no place in Ladakhi society and that opening liquor outlets under the new policy would have negative consequences for the younger generation and society at large. “Introducing another intoxicating substance cannot be a solution to reducing drug addiction and substance abuse,” they added.

The JUIAK is meeting the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh to submit an official representation demanding the withdrawal of the policy and a complete ban on liquor in the region, said the leaders.

The administration has introduced a new excise policy for the region, which will see an increase in the liquor outlets from two to 20, even in remote pockets of Nubra, Changthang, Sham, and Zanskar.