‘Govt’s duty to protect society’: Online gambling as dangerous as drug abuse, must be banned, says Mirwaiz

Srinagar: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has expressed concern over the rise of online gambling, calling it a new menace that is fast spreading in society and ruining lives, just like drug addiction.

Speaking during a Nikah Khutba, Mirwaiz said that thousands of people, especially the youth, are falling into the trap of online gambling, thinking it’s just entertainment. “But it is destroying persons and families, and eating away at our moral values,” he said.

He urged the government to take immediate action. “It is the government’s duty to protect society from such dangers. Development is not only about roads and buildings—it also means taking care of people’s moral and spiritual well-being,” Mirwaiz said.

Mirwaiz said that this issue needs a serious and urgent response. He said that communities and people at the social level also have a role to play and everything cannot be left to the government.

He called on religious scholars to spread awareness about the harmful effects of online gambling using religious teachings and to guide people through every possible medium.

Mirwaiz also made a strong appeal to the judiciary, asking it to take this issue seriously and ban online gamblingbefore more harm is done.

“We are already struggling with drug abuse. Now this new danger has overtaken us. We must act now before it’s too late,” Mirwaiz said.