Pak's NA committee rejects alcohol ban for non-Muslims

Pakistan's National Assembly Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights has opposed JUI-F MNA Maulana Mohammad Shirani's proposal to withdraw an exemption permitting non-Muslims in Pakistan to consume alcohol.

According to Dawn, this was decided in the meeting of the committee which met under the chairmanship of MNA Mamhood Bashir Virk and was attended by its members along with officials of the ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights.

Shirani said that a ban should be imposed by the Parliament on the consumption of alcohol by non-Muslims and pressed for the withdrawal of such an exemption provided in the law.

Meanwhile, an official of the ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights told committee members that it was written in the Constitution that there will be no restriction on the drinking of alcohol by non-Muslims and that it is also part of the Hudood Ordinance, the report said.

Committee Chairman Mahmood Bashir Virk said that the government should first make efforts to control alcohol drinking by Muslims while the other committee members said that such a move was bound to create a bad image of Pakistan in the world, the report further added.