The Balochistan High Court has temporarily allowed the Hindu community and other religious minorities of Gwadar to reopen their wine shops in the city, which were closed after Haq Do Movement, led by Maulana Hidayat-Ur-Rehman, demanded their closure. The alcohol dealers were allowed to reopen their shops and continue the business until further notice.
Wine shops in Gwadar were closed in December 2021 after the Haq Do Movement, a social reforms campaign, demanded their closure. The dealers’ licenses were also abrogated.
According to the details, the religious minorities in Gwadar filed a complaint in the Balochistan High Court regarding the closure of their wine shops. Senior Lawyer Amanullah Kanrani represented the plaintiffs and High Court Judge Nazeer Ahmed Langove presided over the proceedings.
During the hearing on Thursday, Kanrani told the court that the closure of the wine shops is an injustice to the Hindu community and other religious minorities in Gwadar, who run the business. He said that the closure was abrupt – the liquor dealers were not notified of the closure so that they could have made some arrangements. Kanrani said that the closure of the businesses is a violation of Article 10 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which explicitly says that every person has the right to life and freedom.
The High Court decided to temporarily allow the reopening of the wine shops in Gwadar and issued licenses to the dealers.
In reaction to the decision of the court, Maulana Hidayat-Ur-Rehman said that we will not allow the reopening of the wine shops in Gwadar. He said that the Hindu community and other religious minorities must make it clear whether they want to reopen these shops or not. He also said that we will not respect anyone who does not respect Islam and Prophet Muhammad.