Government begins sealing wine shops across Sindh

KARACHI: Following the Sindh High Court (SHC) orders, wine shops across the province are being sealed. The SHC on Thursday directed Inspector General (IG) Sindh and Director General (DG) Excise to close all wine shops across the province with immediate effect.

Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah ordered the authorities to cancel licenses of all liquor stores operating across Sindh immediately.

Representatives of Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities present inside the court welcomed the decision.

The court said that fresh licenses would be issued after detailed scrutiny, for which a new code of conduct would be established.

Following the court's orders, the Excise department issued a notification ordering closure of all liquor stores across Sindh with immediate effect.

Earlier this month SHC had ordered the provincial government to immediately shut down and revoke licenses of all liquor shops operating in the province. During the hearing, the DG Excise and Taxation department had submitted a report stating that presently there were 59 registered wine shops operating in the city, on which the court had expressed its concern saying that it seemed there were more wine shops in Karachi than the number of non-Muslims in the metropolis.

After the SHC order, the representatives of minority communities lodged a petition with the Supreme Court of Pakistan requesting that all liquor stores across the country be shut down.