LAHORE, Sept 23: The Punjab Assembly was informed on Thursday that there was a difference in being a Muslim state and an Islamic state.
The legislator who made the statement was Khizar Ilyas Virk, the only PML MP from Narowal district who could not get a slot in the cabinet. Mr Khizar was ferocious over some opposition MPAs' demand that the government should restrict consumption of liquor at least in the month of Ramazan.
Taking floor on a point of order during the question hour, he said a specific atmosphere prevailed in Saudi Arabia because it was a Muslim state. But this atmosphere could not be created in Pakistan as, like Dubai and Malaysia, it was an Islamic state where Islamic code of life was not strictly imposed.
He believed that people should be allowed to decide what was right and the vice versa. MMA's Zaibunnisa Qureshi asked if the government planned to halt sale of liquor during Ramazan.
Muhammad Waqas argued that the government should have the moral courage to impose the ban for the sake of Muslims, who were 97 percent of the total population. PPP's Samiullah Khan wondered that the consumption of liquor doubled in Ramazan.
At this, public health engineering minister Mushtaq Kiani, sitting close to Mr Khan, murmured something to him. Mr Khan claimed that Mr Kiani had said that the consumption increased because the size of the (liquor) bottle had been reduced. A visibly embarrassed minister denied having said so.
Minority members, PML-N's Kamran Michael and PML's Joseph Hakim Din, protested that Christianity was being defamed by issuing liquor purchase permits to Christians. They said the Bible refrained Christians from drinking. However, excise minister Dr Shafiq read out a letter issued by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lahore listing 100 different occasions when Christians could have drinks.
Mr Michael challenged contents of the letter demanding that the chair should form a committee, which would invite Bishops of all schools of thought and hear their views on the subject for taking a final decision on it.
PPP's Haji Ijaz said if foreigners could not be barred from taking drinks then at least local population, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, should be restricted from it.
Law Minister Raja Basharat said the house should suggest some alternative in place of liquor for foreign visitors. "Should we serve them lassi (whey) or sugarcane juice."
The excise minister, who had said in reply to a written question that action was taken if permit holders sold liquor to others, told Haji Ijaz that his department was responsible for issuing the permits.
