Toxic liquor tragedy: Illegal brew sells due to availability, not price

Murree Brewery CEO says the only solution is to open up new govt-authorised liquor shops

KARACHI: Contrary to popular belief, dozens of people have not lost their lives in Karachi and Hyderabad just because they could not afford good quality liquor, Murree Brewery Chief Executive Officer Isphanyar Bhandara has told The Express Tribune.

“It’s all about easy availability of the drinks. Of course, they can afford local brands. It’s not about price,” he said, emphasising that successive governments have lacked the will to accept that liquor consumption is a reality in Pakistan.



“The only solution is to open up new government-authorised liquor shops. The easy access to quality liquor in small towns will not only save lives but also generate much needed revenue for the government,” he said.

The average price of a one-litre bottle of Murree’s liquor is between Rs500 and Rs600. Illegally produced alcohol sells for around Rs300 – not much of a difference.

Bhandara said there is a need for political courage to accept that only availability of authorised beer and wine would curb the expanding sale of adulterated liquor.

Last week, 39 people lost their lives after consuming homemade or adulterated liquor in Hyderabad and Karachi.

Homemade whisky or beer is made with the branches of the babul, rotten fruit and acids. The mixture of these things is left to decay and methyl spirit is separated, which becomes the ‘sharab’ – a very dangerous kind of adulterated liquor. Doctors say that the number of casualties goes up whenever there is a shortage of quality beer in the market. Loss of eyesight remains the most common symptom.

Local authorised dealers are allowed to sell brands of only three local breweries - Indus Distillery and Brewery Limited, Murree and Quetta Distilleries.

The bootleg brew business does well whenever there is a shortage of the genuine stuff. Murree Brewery is the most sought-after brand with a 70% market share but its supply has seen shortages in the past because of taxation issues.

Wine dealerships have also remained in the hands of a few select non-Muslims, who regularly complain of harassment from police and excise officials.

Following the deaths in Hyderabad, the Sindh government removed Mukesh Chawla as the excise and taxation minister, insisting that he was responsible for issuing permits to substandard shops.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2014.