Customers at only liquor shop in Srinagar fear they could be killed

Secreted between a police and a paramilitary base in northern Kashmir state's capital, Srinagar, lies the only liquor shop in the Kashmir Valley, where drinking was banned by Islamic militants fighting a civil war for independence a decade ago.

Although the shop in Alichoochi Bagh opens early in the morning, its entire business worth around £1,450 takes place after dark, as customers are afraid of being shot dead for defying the militants' code which forbids drinking and all other forms of enjoyment.

Over 24,000 people have died in Kashmir's decade-long armed struggle for an independent Muslim homeland, many for pursuing "infidel" activities like drinking. "I even allow them to drink inside the shop as a safety measure," says shop owner Nissar Ahmad, who ventures out rarely.

When he does move out, Ahmed is escorted by an armed bodyguard, a fierce German Shepherd and a Great Dane, after two attempts were made on his life by militants from the fundamentalist Lashkare-Toiba (Army of the Group). Most Muslims in India abhor dogs and are terrified of them.

Ahmed says two people were recently shot dead in Srinagar for drinking. Business has picked up over the last few weeks. "Being next to an armed police encampment helps," says Ahmed.

Before militancy erupted in 1989, Kashmir was one of India's trendiest holiday spots, full of bars, restaurants and posh hotels that hosted late-night soirees. But once terrorism began they all closed down, as militants considered them symbols of "infidel" enjoyment. They also forcibly shut cinemas, video libraries and beauty parlours and forced women to wear yashmaks, leaving no limb exposed.

Besides chasing over 300,000 Hindus away from Srinagar to refugee camps, Islamic militants also launched a drive against "irreligious and evil" entertainment cable channels and threatened dire consequences against viewers who ignored their diktat.

Influenced by Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban militia, the groups warned cable subscribers against watching "unethical programmes" like music, western and local movie channels as they "infringed on Muslim culture".

As a feeble barometer of normality, one cinema hall opened in Srinagar last year. But it is a fortified encampment fitted with metal detectors and guarded by paramilitary personnel.

Drinking, however, merely went underground, with thousands of bottles of subsidised army liquor finding its way into the local market at astronomical prices.

Earlier this year, taking advantage of the government's policy to project a sense of normality to bolster the local economy by attracting tourists, Ahmad lobbied hard for a liquor licence which he was granted in March. "To open a liquor shop and keep it running requires courage," said a senior police officer. Drinking remains taboo and dangerous in Kashmir, he added, raising his whisky and soda in a toast.