SHC orders closure of liquor shops in Sindh for one month

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered the Sindh government to shut all liquor shops across the province for one month and devise a proper mechanism in this period regarding the sale of alcohol.

Hearing an application of PML-N lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the court rejected the report submitted by DG Excise Police Sindh and sought a detailed report into the sale of liquor and issuance of licences to liquor shops.

Until the submission of the report, the court ordered, wine shops across Sindh will remain shut.

MNA Vankwani had claimed in his application that liquor was being sold throughout the province in the name of minorities but the Hindu religion forbids consumption of alcohol. Hence the liquor shops should be shut down.

When the court asked the director general of Excise,Taxation and Narcotics Control Department that under what mechanism alcohol was being sold across Sindh, the official provided only the number of licenced shops in the province, which irked the court.

The court rejected the report submitted by the DG Excise about sale of alcohol as “incomplete”.

It gave 30 days’ time to the authorities and directed them to formulate a proper mechanism to channelise the sale and licensing of alcohol in the province and submit a detailed report.

Advocate General Sindh Zameer Ghumro informed the court that licences were issued to liquor shops to facilitate foreigners residing in or visiting Sindh. Upon this, Vankwani argued that foreigners coming to Sindh wanted to do many other things, “will they be allowed to do anything they please”?

Advocate Mir Jawed, who represented owners of alcohol shops, argued that all liquor shops were legal as they had obtained licences and paid taxes.

The excise and taxation department had informed the SHC last year that there were 120 liquor shops across Sindh. Of them, 59 shops are in Karachi including 11 being operated in DHA and Clifton areas.

The SHC had recalled licences of wine shops in Sindh in October last year. The court had ordered authorities to issue fresh licences after detailed scrutiny.

However, the Supreme Court (SC) in November set aside the high court’s order after it was challenged by owners of liquor shops. The SC had remanded the case back to the high court to decide the matter after hearing out the aggrieved party whose wine shops had been closed down after the order.

Source: Dawn