Comments sought on regulation of liquor sale petition

Mukesh Kumar has sought to shut down then regulate wine shops in Sindh

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought on Monday comments from the wine shop owners' lawyers on a petition seeking regulation of liquor sale in accordance with the Hadd Ordinance, 1979.

A two-judge bench, headed by SHC Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, asked them to file their comments by December 26, when the matter will be taken up again.



The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz legislator Mukesh Kumar, who had sought regulation of wine shops being operated in Karachi and the rest of the province. He impleaded the police, excise and taxation and other provincial authorities as well as 129 wine shops run across the province in the case.

Kumar had pleaded to the court to order the authorities to shut down the liquor shops in the first phase and then regulate the businesses in accordance with Article 17 of the Hadd Ordinance, 1979.

During Monday's proceedings, additional advocate-general Barrister Ghulam Mustafa Mahesar contended that the petitioner's pleas were contradictory.

"On one hand, the petitioner seeks order to shut down all the liquor shops and on the other hand he wants them regulated in the accordance with Article 17 of the Hadd Ordinance, 1979," Mahesar added.



To this, Kumar said he wanted the business to be regulated according to the relevant ordinance. Mahesar countered that the government was already doing this.

However, the lawyers representing 125 wine shop owners' pleaded that they should also be heard and require time to file their comments in this regard.

Allowing their request, the bench directed them to come prepared to make arguments and file comments on December 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2016.