Brewing keeps its head in Islamic renewal

'Bartender, please pass me a beer' is not a sentence you are likely to hear very often in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where 97 per cent of the population is strictly forbidden from consuming alcohol. With export of the product also against the law, it is a bit surprising that Pakistan's oldest company is none other than alcohol producer Murree Brewery.

Business has been taking a hard hit with the rise of Islamic parties after the September 11 attacks in the United States, a downturn brewery owners are taking in stride.

'In this country it is more honourable to be caught killing someone than having a glass of beer in your hand,' says Isphanyar Bhandara, the brewery's 30-year-old director and son of the executive director. 'It's not like we've never known difficulties before.'

The Murree Brewery was established in 1861 by the British. When Pakistan broke away from India and gained independence in 1947, the brewery found itself on that side of the border where people were not allowed alcohol.

'Existing laws do make exceptions for non-Muslims and foreigners,' explained executive director M.P. Bhandara. 'And because my father saw a financial possibility here, he bought stocks from the brewery before partition.'

The Bhandaras are Zoroastrian or Parsi, a religious minority that originates from old Persia, and by 1947 Mr Bhandara owned a small majority in Murree stocks.