In a bold move, Kashmiri women are divorcing their drug addict husbands after they refused to give up drugs.
For 27-year-old Rifat, it wasn't an easy decision to divorce her drug addict husband who despite all her efforts in the last three years did not quit the habit and often became violent under the influence of drugs.
Rifat is among 40 Kashmiri women who recently divorced their drug-addict husbands. These women say a local sharia court helped them to make their choice.
Given the social sensitivities, Rifat had to convince her parents that she can no longer suffer mental and physical trauma.
"I don't know why men have this notion that a woman can't divorce her husband. They think only man has a right to divorce his wife," said Rifat.
"For a moment he would agree with me but suddenly he would become violent and start beating me under the influence of drugs. Then I spoke to my father about it. I told him that I'm ready to live with him if he leaves drugs," she said.
Shazia from north Kashmir, who made the similar choice of breaking free from traumatic marriage, says she has had to listen to uncomfortable comments.
"People comment... I say let them talk whatever they want to. I don't care about them. I think I have taken a right decision," Shazia said.
The grand mufti, who heads the Shariah court in Srinagar, says he has gone through many cases of unending frustration among women married to drug addicts.
"Under these circumstances a woman can ask for divorce" said Nasirul Islam, Grand Mufti, Kashmir.
He said 40 divorces have taken place through Shariah court in last one month and he has sent these cases to medical board and took a decision based on their medical reports.
While these women say the decision to divorce their husbands is fight against social evil like drug addiction and their rights religion of Islam has given them.
The issue also highlights the increasing number of drug addiction case in Kashmir.