Pakistan’s historic Murree Brewery, which was established in
1860 in Ghora Gali Murree during the British Raj, has finally been granted a
beer export license after nearly fifty years. Originally built to cater to the
needs of British soldiers and the colonial community, the brewery has grown to
become one of Pakistan’s oldest and most successful companies. Murree Brewery
has weathered many storms in its more than a century and a half of history,
including earthquakes, riots, the Partition of India, and strict religious and
legal restrictions, but it has survived.
Its revenue in the last fiscal year has crossed $100
million, an unprecedented milestone for any Pakistani industrial company.
Today, the company is led by third-generation CEO Asfandyar Bhandara, who
belongs to Pakistan’s Parsi Zoroastrian community and is also a member of the
National Assembly. Under his leadership, Murree Brewery is now expanding into
global markets. Limited exports to Japan, Britain and Portugal have started,
while Europe, Asia and Africa are being targeted as major markets of the
future.
According to Asfandyar Bhandara, his grandfather Peshwatan
Bhandara and father MP Bhandara, the late, also tried to export, but they could
not succeed because Pakistan is an Islamic country where advertising is not
allowed. He says that we have always done good work quietly and made good beer
and now we are getting an opportunity to show the world our 164-year history
and quality through exports. The political movement under whose pressure
alcohol was banned in 1977 was called the Pakistan National Alliance. The ban
on alcohol was imposed to politically counter this protest, which was a set-off
against a democratic government, which was neither the result of public demand
nor was it based on any scientific research or social consensus, but rather
became a political compulsion of the government of the time, which later became
part of the ideological policy of a military dictator.
Before the ban in 1977, Murree beer was exported to India,
Afghanistan, the Gulf countries and even the United States, and Kabul was also
among the markets where the Taliban regime is now in power. This development is
an important milestone for an ancient and resilient Pakistani institution like
Murree Brewery, which has maintained its place despite the changing political,
social and legal conditions since the British era. It is also worth mentioning
that Murree Brewery’s original factory was located in Ghora Gali Murree, where
its Gothic-style building was destroyed by fire in the 1947 riots.
The brewery, established in the 1880s in Quetta, was
completely destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1935 and was never
rebuilt. The company’s factories are currently located in Rawalpindi and Hattar
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After partition, the company came under the ownership of
the Parsi Bhandara family in 1947, who continue to run it successfully to this
day. A commendable aspect is that the company's board of directors includes a
female family member, Mrs. Ghoshi M. Bhandara, who plays a direct role in
business decisions.
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