For Pakistan’s secret wine brewing club, the risk is worth a shot

A Pakistani worker checks the filled beer bottles at The Muree Brewery Company in Rawalpindi on July 13, 2010. (AFP/File)
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Updated 03 November 2020
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For Pakistan’s secret wine brewing club, the risk is worth a shot

  • The sale and consumption of alcohol by Muslims was banned in Pakistan in the seventies and severe punishments prescribed 
  • Members of the Beer and Wine society use berries, pomegranates, tomatoes, even tea to give their brews a ‘Pakistani touch’

LAHORE: Last month, a group of men and women got together in the central Pakistani city of Lahore to celebrate Oktoberfest, the annual German beer and wine festival. 
Many of the guests at the event had one thing in common: they belong to the Pakistan Beer and Wine Society, a six-year-old underground club of brewers who produce homemade liquor for personal consumption — and sometimes to sell to select clients. 
Despite the ban on alcohol, drinking is rampant in Pakistan, but in the absence of bars and nightclubs, people partake mostly at home, behind closed doors. And while much of the alcohol is smuggled in, many resourceful Pakistanis are now making their own wine and beer at home, risking it all for a tipple. 

“I am a risk taker,” said Farah, a middle-aged wine brewer from Lahore who only wanted to be identified by her first name and said she had been driven to brewing by the high prices and low quality of imported wine. “I think what I and other brewers are doing is a small act of rebellion.” 
The sale and consumption of alcohol was allowed in Pakistan until restrictions were introduced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto just weeks before he was removed as prime minister in 1977. On February 9, 1979, the regime of military ruler Zia-ul-Haq issued a prohibition order under which selling alcohol to Muslims was declared illegal and severe punishments were prescribed for Muslims caught selling or drinking alcohol. 




A Pakistani official uses a steamroller to crush bottles of liquor in the outskirts of Karachi on February 20, 2020, during an event organized by the Pakistan Coast Guards to destroy seized illicit alcohol and drugs smuggled into the country. ( AFP / File photo)

Since the seventies, thus, most Pakistanis have bought their liquor illicitly from bootleggers — or from alcohol shops allowed to sell only to minorities who hold permits. Pakistan even has a handful of its own breweries, including the Murree Brewery, which officially produce only for non-Muslims, or for export.
Now, more and more people are turning to home-brewing. 
How common the practice is becoming is clear, according to Saqib, a member of the Beer and Wine Society, from the fact that shopkeepers at a local market in Lahore finally understood what type of bottle the home-brewer was looking for when he said he needed it to store ‘juice’. 

“‘Oh, you need it for fermentation,’ they said, and pulled out the right bottle,” Saqib said, chuckling in the study of his Lahore home. 
Often, members of the secretive club also turn to a Facebook group to get advice on the basics of the brewing process. The page, a closed community, has around 100 members across Pakistan.
To join the group, a person not only has to demonstrate strong connections to an existing member, but also buy the equipment and supplies needed to make homemade wine, and prepare a batch that must then be approved by a group member. If you’re lucky, you’ll also be added to a more exclusive WhatsApp group.




A Pakistani official uses a steamroller to crush bottles of liquor in the outskirts of Karachi on February 20, 2020, during an event organized by the Pakistan Coast Guards to destroy seized illicit alcohol and drugs smuggled into the country. ( AFP / File photo)

Once part of the community, brewers connect to swap tips and tricks. These days, members of the group have also been discussing how to add a ‘Pakistani touch’ to their brews. 
Saqib said he uses berries, pomegranates, tomatoes, sugarcane and even tea to make wine. 
“Wine made of tomato is my favorite,” Saqib said. “But it takes a long time to clear.”
The process of home-brewing includes fermenting fruits, sugar and yeast in regular plastic or food-grade buckets. After ten days, the fruits are pulled out of the buckets and moved to a carboy, where they sit for a month or so.

Most of the equipment used in home-brewing can be bought from local markets, except corks, which need to be ordered from online vendors such as AliBaba.

Once ready, some of the brewers bottle their wine to age it while others say they consume it immediately. Some also sell it.
Farah, the wine brewer from Lahore, has her own label of wine, and sells a bottle for half the price of imported wine. 

“It’s a good business if one wants,” she said in an interview in the leafy courtyard of her home. 
“The process [of wine making] is so precious and delicate. It takes a long time, sometimes even six months, to prepare a good bottle,” she added, pausing to pour a glass of the ruby liquid. 
“Go on, quick, take a sip, it’s very good,” she teased, as a male member of her household staff appeared. 
“He loves it,” Farah said. “Right now, he is going to buy fruit from a wholesale market. You know why: because he told me that it has been a few days since we made a new batch. And he doesn’t even drink!”


 


Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

  • Extension in services of army, navy and air force chiefs follows controversial amendments to the constitution last month
  • The opposition PTI party condemns the amendments for changing Pakistan “from a democracy into a monarchy”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on Monday approved bills to extend the tenure of the army, navy, and air force chiefs from three to five years, amid protests by the opposition benches. 

The office of the army chief is considered to be the most powerful in the country, with the army having ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history. Even when not directly in power, the army is considered to be the invisible guiding hand in politics and holds considerable sway in internal security, foreign policy, and economic affairs, among other domains. 

Six bills were passed by the upper and lower houses on Monday evening, including one to increase the term of the services chiefs.

“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” read the bill, seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.

Similar bills were passed to increase the duration of the country’s naval and air force chiefs to five years also. 

“The purpose of these amendments are to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (XXXIX of 1952) The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 (Ordinance No. XXXV of 1961) and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 (VI of 1953) with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws.” 

Speaking outside parliament, the chairman of the opposition PTI party, Gohar Ali Khan, said:

“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy.”

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said “modifying the service chiefs’ tenure is not a good thing for the country and the armed forces.”

The passage of the new bills follows controversial amendments made to the constitution last month, granting lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.

The amendments allowed the government to bypass the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as the country’s top judge, replacing former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa. 

The opposition and the legal fraternity had opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.


Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

  • Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks recently
  • Pakistan blames the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants in two separate engagements in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
A militant was killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan’s Dosali area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In the second incident, Pakistani forces intercepted a group of militants while infiltrating the country’s border with Afghanistan in the South Waziristan district. Five militants were killed as a result.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij [militants] for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
 


Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

  • The missile is capable of striking land and sea targets with ‘high precision’
  • Pakistan, India consider their missile programs as deterrent against each other

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has successfully test-fired a ship-launched ballistic missile having a range of 350 km and capable of striking both land and sea targets, it said on Monday.
Pakistan sees its missile development as a deterrent against nuclear-armed arch-foe India. Both countries have fought multiple wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two South Asian neighbors have long been developing missiles of varying ranges in a bid to ensure deterrence against possible attacks from each other, with analysts often warning these developments could push the region into an arms race.
“Pakistan Navy conducted a successful flight test of an indigenously developed ship-launched ballistic missile,” the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) of Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
“The weapon system with 350km range is capable of engaging land and sea targets with high precision.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikldB3jieWo
The flight test of the weapon system, equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and maneuverability features, was witnessed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, senior naval officers, scientists and engineers.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu congratulated the participating navy units and scientists on the development.
 
 


Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

Updated 04 November 2024
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Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

  • The statement comes days after Sharif visited Qatar seeking to bolster economic cooperation between both nations
  • Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh and met the Saudi Crown Prince

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a team of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will visit Pakistan this month to set up an information technology (IT) park in the South Asian country.
The statement came days after Sharif visited Qatar while seeking to bolster economic cooperation amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investment to stabilize its frail $350 billion economy.
Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he discussed trade and investment with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Sharif said a QIA team will visit Pakistan this month, while its chief of Asia-Pacific & Africa Investments, Faisal Bin Thani Al Thani, will also arrive in Islamabad by the end of this month.
“Qatar emir said the same thing. They also suggested setting up an IT park here [in Pakistan],” Sharif told his cabinet members in televised comments.
During his visit, Sharif led delegation-level talks with the Qatari emir before holding a separate meeting with him to discuss a wide array of issues.
“The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture,” Sharif’s office said last week.
He also met a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) and invited them to invest in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.
The developments came amid Pakistan’s attempts to increase trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year by securing a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
 


Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

  • Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 in July and 200 in September
  • It takes the total policy rate cuts in the country to 700 bps in under five months

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday, it said in a statement, for a fourth straight reduction since June, as the country keeps up efforts to revive a sluggish economy with inflation easing.
Most respondents in a Reuters poll last week expected a cut of 200 bps after inflation moved down sharply from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023, saying reductions were needed to bolster growth.
Average consumer price index inflation in the South Asian country is 8.7 percent in the current financial year, which started in July, the statistics bureau says. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects inflation to average 9.5 percent for the year ending June.
Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.
October inflation came in at 7.2 percent, slightly above the government’s expectation of 6 percent to 7 percent. The finance ministry expects inflation to slow further to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent in November.
However, inflation could pick up again in 2025, driven by electricity and gas price increases after a new $7-billion IMF bailout, and the potential impact of taxes on the retail, wholesale and the farm sector announced in the June budget to take effect in January 2025, some analysts say.