Liquor licences: ‘Stop issuing permits in the name of Christians’

Petitioner urges IHC to impose a complete ban on use, consumption, sale and purchase of alcohol

ISLAMABAD: A Christian man has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking its help on imposing a complete ban on the usage, consumption, storage, sale and purchase of alcohol in the capital.

Moreover, the man has demanded that constitutional practice issuing of permits to Christians or other non-Muslims for alcohol should also be done away with.

Joseph Masih, in a petition filed before IHC through his counsel Yasir Mehmood Chaudhary, argued that by granting liquor permits in the name of Christians by the respondents was an act which maligned, defamed and created bad impression about the Christian community. Chaudhary further claimed that the religious sentiments of his client were hurt by the respondents.

The federation through secretary Ministry of Interior, the chief commissioner of the Islamabad Capital Territory and the director of the Excise and Taxation department were named as the respondents.

The petitioner said that non-Muslims made up over five per cent of Pakistan’s population, with a majority of them Christians.

The counsel said that the petitioner had raised the issue “with great pain” and that he had a “lot of expectations” from the court to stop the respondents from issuing liquor permits in the name of Christians.

Chaudhary said that the respondents issue the permits to Muslims, hotels and others in the name of Christians which had no religious, moral or legal justification.

Masih further maintained that liquor is strictly prohibited in the Bible and the Christian community avoids using, consuming and taking liquor. Moreover, they seek to abolish “this menace” from the society by imposing complete ban over it.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2017.