KARACHI: Various church and temple leaders were summoned to the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday over the logistics of selling
liquor for minorities.
The court required their insight into its deliberation on the matter of who should be licensed to sell
liquor in the province and the qu
ota that should be granted for it.
The SHC also set a deadline of February 14 for the Sindh government to confirm legislation on t
he issues, directing a review of the laws and regulations pertaining to
liquor sale in Punjab. It also ordered the administration to ensure
the closure of
liquor shops located near mosques and schools.
The SHC, last year, had ordered
the closure of all
liquor selling points in
the city as well as the revocation of their licenses.
Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah had remarked on the occasion that the excessive amount of
liquor being sold in Karachi meant that “minority communities can bathe in it”.
However, the Supreme Cour
t had subsequently issued an interim order repealing the directions of the SHC and allowing for the shops to be reopened.
While the general consumption and sale of
liquor was prohibited in
the country, people from other religions are allowed its trade through
liquor shops approved and licensed by the government.
