Chowrangi

Some 50 people have been died and many are still unconscious after drinking toxic liquor in the Railway City colony of Karachi. The alcohol has said to be prepared with an expired chemical, which caused so many quick deaths. It was prepared in Kemari, and then was supplied to different areas of Karachi. Among the dead, most are Muslims. Just four are Christians, and one is Hindu.

One wonders over such a large number of Muslims drinking booze in Ramadan, but then as a matter of fact, when other evils like corruption, dacoity, murder, hoarding and etc don’t stop then why drinking alcohol. Not surprisingly, it has also been reported that the whole affair was conducted under the supervision of police, and among the dead, there also were some policemen. Some of the persons, who were involved in this business also got expired.

Though on papers, it is Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and drinking liquor is prohibited, and special licenses are required for the minorities, but that’s only on paper. Practically, locally made alcohol called as ‘Desi Sharab’ is available in every city, town and villages in ample quantity at cheap rates. This desi Sharab is more popular in the poor, while the rich normally obtain the imported labels. A single bottle of Desi can be obtained for Rs. 200 or even Rs. 100, while imported bottle ranges from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 3000.

As the brothels are opening rapidly in every city in the residential areas, they are also fast becoming the main suppliers of Drinks. Needless to say that it all happens under the nose of police. It’s nothing new, and this time, just due to the higher number of deaths, this matter has attracted nation-wide interests, otherwise, two or three deaths every week due to the bad booze are just normal.

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