'Pink Lady' from Pakistan
Liquor is still officially banned in Pakistan but the risk of being lashed or getting arrested or harassed by the police didn't stop Pakistanis from getting a drink. After all religion cannot be dictated, it is a matter between man and God.
ISLAM PROHIBITS drinking beer or liquor due to the side effects of the alcohol, which propel the drinkers to move from steady stage to uncontrolled emotional stage where he or she can do and perform any kind of unhealthy human activity such as rape, killing, fighting, lose mind control and others. This act will finally damage the peace and way of good life in the society. However, the Holy Quran says, “There is no Compulsion in Religion.”
The founder of Pakistan had a liberal outlook and he didn’t close the breweries in Pakistan. 'The Murree Breweries' kept fermenting its liquor through ages and remained unaffected during historic convulsions. It is the oldest and the last surviving brewery in Pakistan. It was founded in undivided India in the famous resort town of Murree in the Punjab province in 1860. The tortuous terrain of Murree Hills forced the management to shift the plant to Rawalpindi where it still stands as eye sour to many who feel beer-drinking as a cardinal sin. The products of this brewery include Malt Whisky, Vodka and Gin. One could have seen, as late as late 70's the Hoarding and Billboards in almost all the cities of Pakistan. Karachi was the epicenter of bars, liquor shops and advance clubs where imported and local produce were available at most affordable prices. In fact, the products of Murree Brewery were appreciated in international markets for its good quality. In 1970, the fundamentalists of Jamat-e-Islami decided that enough is enough and Islamic Republic of Pakistan can’t tolerate the existence of a Liquor Company in its midst of skull caps, flowing beards and knuckle-up salwar - pyjamas.
They decided to do away with Neon Signs, bill boards and hoarding of Liquors in Saddar area and Lucky Star areas of Karachi. Bhutto was secular by normal standards but in many anti-Bhutto rallies in Karachi and Lahore, protesters also attacked bars, nightclubs, wine shops and cinemas, denouncing them as symbols of the ‘un-Islamic Bhutto regime'. In 1977, the secular government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto imposed a ban on liquor in Pakistan to neutralise the propaganda of the fanatical fringes of Pakistan and win some points and gain popularity against them. Instead of Sunday, Friday was also declared as holiday. Before Bhutto could have established himself effectively, he was toppled by his own hand-picked General, Muhamad Ziaul Haq. Martial Law was imposed on July 5, 1977.
An admirer of conservative Islamic scholar and Jamat-i-Islami chief, Maoulana Abul Ala Moududdi, Zia declared that he will give Pakistan a' Nizam-e-Mustapha'. He used ‘Islamisation’ as a political process. His puritanical and Machiavellian interpretation of Islam contributed to the rise of fundamentalism, obscurantism and retrogression in Pakistan and neighboring Muslim Societies.
The ban on alcohol stayed put but Zia added severe punishments (for Muslims) on selling and consuming alcohol. The non-Muslim Pakistanis now required a license to buy alcohol, in ‘licensed wine shops’ mainly in Karachi, the interior of Sindh and Islamabad. It was ironic that according to Pakistani Press and media, more than 90 per cent of the customers of these ‘legal wine shops’ were Muslims. A new challenge appeared in 1980s and 1990s to Pakistani Muslim Society, which saw a dramatic rise in addiction of heroin and tranquilizer by its young generation. It was a contribution of Gen Zia to his so-called Nizam’s concept.
Murree Brewery’s survived through all this vicissitudes and today it is the highest tax paying company in Pakistan. Murree brands are available in the legal shops at much higher prices. Poor Pakistanis have inevitably turned to consuming inferior and dangerous ‘home made’ alcoholic beverages sold by shady bootlegging mafias.
Liquor is still officially banned in Pakistan but the truth is that the risk of being lashed or getting arrested or harassed by the police didn’t stop Pakistanis from getting a drink. The humble scribe is neither eulogizing, approving the habit of drinking nor trying to advertise the product of Murree Brewery. The point I’m trying to make is you can’t dictate religion. It is a matter between man and God.
An admirer of conservative Islamic scholar and Jamat-i-Islami chief, Maoulana Abul Ala Moududdi, Zia declared that he will give Pakistan a' Nizam-e-Mustapha'. He used ‘Islamisation’ as a political process. His puritanical and Machiavellian interpretation of Islam contributed to the rise of fundamentalism, obscurantism and retrogression in Pakistan and neighboring Muslim Societies.
The ban on alcohol stayed put but Zia added severe punishments (for Muslims) on selling and consuming alcohol. The non-Muslim Pakistanis now required a license to buy alcohol, in ‘licensed wine shops’ mainly in Karachi, the interior of Sindh and Islamabad. It was ironic that according to Pakistani Press and media, more than 90 per cent of the customers of these ‘legal wine shops’ were Muslims. A new challenge appeared in 1980s and 1990s to Pakistani Muslim Society, which saw a dramatic rise in addiction of heroin and tranquilizer by its young generation. It was a contribution of Gen Zia to his so-called Nizam’s concept.
Murree Brewery’s survived through all this vicissitudes and today it is the highest tax paying company in Pakistan. Murree brands are available in the legal shops at much higher prices. Poor Pakistanis have inevitably turned to consuming inferior and dangerous ‘home made’ alcoholic beverages sold by shady bootlegging mafias.
Liquor is still officially banned in Pakistan but the truth is that the risk of being lashed or getting arrested or harassed by the police didn’t stop Pakistanis from getting a drink. The humble scribe is neither eulogizing, approving the habit of drinking nor trying to advertise the product of Murree Brewery. The point I’m trying to make is you can’t dictate religion. It is a matter between man and God.
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