Srinagar, May 8 -- Expressing concern over the rising drug abuse in the Kashmir Valley, cleric Aga Syed Hassan on Friday called for a unified societal campaign against all intoxicants, including alcohol, and criticised the "double standards" in government policy that permits wine shops while cracking down on narcotics.

Delivering his Friday sermon at the Markazi Imambara in Budgam, the president of Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian said that while the government's ongoing measures against drug abuse were appreciable, authorities must adopt a consistent and principled approach towards all forms of intoxication.

"Alcohol is equally destructive and harmful to society, having ruined countless families and destroyed the future of many young people, jus...