Pakistan

Liquor seized outside diplomat’s residence

Liquor seized from outside residence the residence of Ambassador of Myanmar, consignment claimed by Embassy of Syria.

Umer Nangiana October 30, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The city police on Thursday night seized over 2,000 bottles of imported liquor from outside the residence of Ambassador of Myanmar in F-11/4. The consignment was claimed, however, by the Embassy of Syrian Arab Republic in a letter to the authorities concerned. The letter was produced before the police by the Myanmar ambassador.

Police raided the consignment when the liquor was being unloaded from the container and claimed only a quarter of the total quantity of liquor in the container could be seized. On counting, the police found 2,190 bottles of different imported brands packed in 220 cartons.

Before opening the consignment on Friday evening, the magistrate of the area concerned and the customs authorities were informed about the seizure. However, only customs officials showed up and ‘disappeared’ after seeing the documents.

Later on Friday, the Embassy of Syria sent documents along with a certificate for diplomatic exemption to the Shalimar area police, claiming that the ‘whole’ consignment belonged to the embassy.

One of the letters, also obtained by The Express Tribune, certified that the carrier bearing registration number TKA-048, was transporting assorted alcoholic beverages and liquors from Karachi to Islamabad and belonged to the Embassy of Syrian Arab Republic’.

In another letter, the Syrian Embassy said that the ‘container of this embassy was being off-loaded at the residence of the ambassador of Myanmar located in F-11/4 due to some unavoidable circumstances’.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (22)

abbas | 14 years ago | Reply http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101101/aponheme/eumeddangerousalcohol;ylt=Arhf6k6Kjk80WLsf8ajSG6qs0NUE;ylu=X3oDMTJsOXJuNjAxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMTAxL2V1X21lZF9kYW5nZXJvdXNfYWxjb2hvbARwb3MDNARzZWMDeW5fbW9zdF9wb3B1bGFyBHNsawNzdHVkeWFsY29ob2w- Study: Alcohol more lethal than heroin, cocaine LONDON – Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study. British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole. Researchers analyzed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison. Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals. When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest. But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower. The study was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and was published online Monday in the medical journal, Lancet. Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers but for those around them. "Just think about what happens (with alcohol) at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam. He was not linked to the study and co-authored a commentary in the Lancet. When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin. But experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol. "We cannot return to the days of prohibition," said Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and one of the study's authors. "Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away." King said countries should target problem drinkers, not the vast majority of people who indulge in a drink or two. He said governments should consider more education programs and raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available. Experts said the study should prompt countries to reconsider how they classify drugs. For example, last year in Britain, the government increased its penalties for the possession of marijuana. One of its senior advisers, David Nutt - the lead author on the Lancet study - was fired after he criticized the British decision. "What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science," said van den Brink. He said considerations about revenue and taxation, like those garnered from the alcohol and tobacco industries, may influence decisions about which substances to regulate or outlaw. "Drugs that are legal cause at least as much damage, if not more, than drugs that are illicit," he said.

SKChadha | 14 years ago | Reply @ Isfand - A Suhail in his comments above further confused me. Some references of Verses, (4:43, 2:219, 5:20-21, 16:67 etc.) also refered at: http://www.quranandscience.com/legislative/217-alcohol-in-islam.html, are defining that it is bad in Islam to consume alcohol. This is also true and described so in most of religions and civil societies. Even in India like State of Gujarat has ban on sale of Alcohol but that is for reason different from religion. I distinctly remember while studying law, that our teacher of Islamic Law stating that in Islam even if alcohol falls on your body, scalp out it from that part. He was confronted by our classmate Muslim students stating it was a wrong interpretation by him? I just wanted to confirm that: (a) a normal human being, if he drinks alcohol in his home and in family atmosphere it may be sinful in Islam, but whether it is also considered a social crime in any Islamic society? (b) a citizen who is drunk in public place but made no social offence, such as drunk driving creating social unrest etc., is punishable for offending the religion or any other law in Pakistan?

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Mawali | 14 years ago | Reply El Idroos "If we are all such good Muslims, then feely available alcohol shouldn’t be a problem. just choose not to consume it." Well that would make too much sense for all the card carrying explosive packing Pakistani's. All Pakistani's think that heaven would be too boring a place without company so they want to take along as many as possible with them. Ah heaven hold on Johnny there's plenty a rivers of wine and at least 72 lovely maidens that await ya in heaven. Thank you very much I will take my cash now.

Khan | 14 years ago | Reply I say we legalize dope as well! We'll see who wants to strap anything around them then!!

Isfand | 14 years ago | Reply @SKChadha Actually Islam prohibit drinking of alcohol completly.

Syed Nadir El-Edroos | 14 years ago | Reply If we are all such good Muslims, then feely available alcohol shouldn't be a problem. just choose not to consume it.

Mahvesh Ayyaz | 14 years ago | Reply

@AngelosI hope people will care to study about prohibition of alcohol in Islam before they think otherwise.

Please hold my hand as we walk BACKWARDS to the path of stupidity....there are more pressing issues on hand and you are worried about alcohol, when can we have SEPARATION of religion and accepted public behavior?

S. Ali Raza | 14 years ago | Reply Damn police!

ARF | 14 years ago | Reply Exercise restraint - let it be sold openly and see how many can restrain ? Just cuz cigrattes are sold does everyone buy them? its the same - those who want to drink will get their drink from wherever they want to. Other Muslim countries sell liquor openly - are they un Islamic? Do all the Muslims in those countries drink?

ccityrocker5@aol.com | 14 years ago | Reply For your info, alcohol is freely available in Syria, And your are allowed to buy it and consume it in your own home, Yet a majority of the muslims who live there do not partake in this vile habit.Similar to Dubai, Clubs and alcohol are freely available yet law and order is mantained, I wager that if we allowed the sale of alcohol in the pure land there would be a riot ( not by the mullahs, but by the drinkers who would have a field day) Law and order whice is allready fairly shaky would probably crumble.Give a Pakistani an inch and he well most certainly take a mile

Asim Aliou | 14 years ago | Reply Liquor is being consumed in this country every day. Why are we pretending that it does not exist even though it is banned? What has banning done for us? To my knowledge the country simply headed in a downwards spiral. We are wasting time on non issues like alcohol. What needs to happen is investment, creation of jobs and development of skills. Please people, start talking about this

nina | 14 years ago | Reply Sure, let's allow the free sale of alcohol in Pakistan, then soon our shops can also start selling pork (pig meat) and I am sure you will not protest then either, because we pathetic Pakistanis want so much to be like a kafir nation. While we are at it, why not also allow the open sale of heroin in our shops, because so many people (including the wealthy) use it and of course we do not want to trample on their "democratic rights". The sad thing is that today there is no true Islamic country on planet Earth, (Iran is perhaps the closest to being called an Islamic republic).

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 14 years ago | Reply Peenay walo chlo custom mein sharab ae hy, so the people from Customs came and quietly went away, I do not think empty handed. Some say that good whiskey is called "Holy Water" because after having 3 - 4 double pegs one starts either speaking English or starts speaking truth. It is normal thing so no use of making any type of hue or cry. I would rather suggest to open Bars so that people should stop drinking "Qupees".

A Suhail | 14 years ago | Reply I am not going into detail or copy paste quranic ayats on this. To make it simple, Islam says its haram to drink anything which makes you lose your senses. But Islam also says that you can do whatever in the confines of your house be it drinking or something else and you will be judged on the day of judgement for your acts. So Islam leave it to the individual to make decision of what they want to do with their lives.

SKChadha | 14 years ago | Reply Denunciation and prohibition are two separate aspects? As I understand Islam, though denounce consumption of intoxicants and alcohol, do not prohibit them altogether. Yes, it prohibits prayers in intoxicated condition. Please correct me if I am wrong?

sorosh | 14 years ago | Reply when worthy politicians dont care then who should blame such incidents after all we are islamic republic of pakistan!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mariam | 14 years ago | Reply So what if Syria is an islamic country?

Angelos | 14 years ago | Reply I dont know about Syria, but liquor selling/buying should be stopped in Pakistan. I hope people will care to study about prohibition of alcohol in Islam before they think otherwise.

SD | 14 years ago | Reply Everyone is this country from politicians to generals, bureaucrats to civil society, judges to media persons, university students to corporate executives drink. There is a wine shop right next to my house where anyone and everyone can buy Murree Brewery's products. I don't understand when will we come out of this hypocrisy of banning alcohol while paying exuberant prices for smuggled bottles. The government is losing revenue due to the ban on import of alcohol while a black-marketeers profit. I say remove the ban, import alcohol, charge duties on it. Then whoever wants to drink can do so and those who don't, just wouldn't. Are Malaysia, Egypt and UAE not 'Muslim' states as well? They have similar laws to the ones I am proposing. disclaimer: the author of this comment does NOT drink but does NOT like to impose on others either.

A Suhail | 14 years ago | Reply Except Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and maybe one or two more islamic countries, liquor is available in stores for purchase in other islamic countries. Out of 48 islamic countries only few ban the sale of liquor. Democracy has nothing to do with purchase of liquor since most of the islamic countries are governed by kings or dictators. Its ironic our police always seem to catch these liquor containers and smugglers but never seem to catch containers and cars rigged with explosives.

Adeel Ahmed | 14 years ago | Reply Pretty soon Pakistan will allow the purchase and sale of alcohol in all stores, etc... Democracy is the best revenge.

hasan adeel | 14 years ago | Reply Syria is an Islamic country?I think my knowledge is wrong. Sorry, now more comments.

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