Judge-turned-National-Conference legislator Hasnain Masoodi faced a backlash over his remarks that a blanket ban on alcohol will hit Jammu and Kashmir's revenues and encourage smuggling and sale of spurious liquor, forcing him to backtrack and insist his comments were a caution on how to handle critics’ concerns.

A former judge of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Masoodi on Monday appeared to oppose a blanket ban on liquor as he felt it would hit the state’s revenues. He cited examples of dry states Gujarat and Bihar to suggest how smuggling and consumption of spurious liquor continue in both states.

The Kashmir-based Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) accused the MLA of issuing a “reckless statement”.

An MMU spokesperson said such remarks were deeply unfortunate as there was a “clear Islamic prohibition on intoxicants” and it was “fundamentally at odds with the values and beliefs of Islam”.

“It also ignores the grave social consequences that liquor consumption has in general on families and society, including domestic distress, financial hardship and moral degradation,” he said.

The spokesperson said the justification for liquor had come from a political party that claims to uphold the ethos, culture and identity of Kashmir, calling it “disappointing and disturbing”. The MMU said the economic considerations “cannot be placed above moral, social and human well-being, and that justifying liquor on revenue grounds reflects a troubling approach to governance”.

The body said it was a “well-known menace that steadily erodes the moral and social fabric of society”, asking the ruling NC “to come clean on the matter and immediately take concrete steps towards a complete ban on liquor in Jammu and Kashmir”.

Masoodi on Tuesday said he supports a liquor ban as it devastates the family, particularly women and children. “Hundreds of families are hit. We know how devastating its fallout is. The issue is how to deal with those who will speak in its (liquor ban) opposition. That is what I said yesterday. But what happened is that the talk shifted to the main (issue). There is (no dispute) on the main (issue). I only identified issues which can arise which are related to it,” he said.