While liquor sales and consumption were never formally banned in Kashmir, public drinking has long remained a taboo and is also restricted by law. (File Photo) The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Friday led a protest at Srinagar’s Gupkar Road, leading up to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence, seeking a ban on the sale of alcohol in Kashmir. Although there has been a growing chorus in the Valley demanding a complete ban on alcohol, the BJP has made common cause on this issue for the first time since the National Conference government took charge in 2024. However, the BJP’s demand to ban the sale of alcohol is limited to the Valley, not Jammu . In 2018, then BJP state unit chief Ravinder Raina had also sought a ban on liquor sale in the Union Territory. BJP media in-charge Sajid Yousuf Shah said, “The party is demanding an immediate ban on liquor sales in Kashmir, emphasising that the issue is closely tied to the Valley’s social and religious values.…