RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN // The stout walls of the Murree Brewery serve as a reminder that there is more to Pakistan than the Taliban.
The news headlines in recent weeks have focused on how Taliban militants had arrived only 96 metres from the capital, Islamabad.
Before being beaten back this week by security forces, the militants were only a few metres farther away from one of the Indian subcontinent's most historic breweries, which is entrenched in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
"The Taliban is only a fraction of 176 million people and they have no support and will never succeed," said Isfanyar Bhandara, a Parsee businessman whose family has run the brewery since the creation of Pakistan at the partition of British India in 1947.
The innovations that the Bhandara family have made mean that next week the Islamic republic of Pakistan will win the distinction of producing the country's first 21-year-old malt whiskey.
"[Last] Monday we were granted a licence to bottle and sell the single malt and so it will be on sale next week," said Maj Sabih-ur-Rehman, a debonair, polo-playing special assistant to Mr Bhandara.
The Murree Brewery was founded in 1860 to produce ale and spirits to slake the formidable thirst of soldiers during the British Raj. It is the only producer of whisky and beer in a Muslim country.
Despite a torrid history in which it has been burnt down by a Muslim crowd and temporarily shut down in a pro-Islamist government fit of pique, the brewery has survived against the odds and has previously produced celebrated eight- and 12-year-old single malts.
"Very few distilleries in the world, even the high-end ones in Scotland, produce 20-year-old malts," Mr Bhandara said.
Officially, the 21-year malt will be true to its name of "Rarest". Under Pakistani law, it cannot be drunk by 97 per cent of the country, and it cannot be exported.
Pakistan's Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian and animist minorities, which make up three per cent of the population, are the official consumers of Murree's vast annually produced reservoir of sharab, alcohol.
The brewery was named after Murree hill station in the Himalayan foothills. Yesterday, the clatter of bottles filled the air and the treacly smell of molasses drifted over the brick and whitewashed walls of the brewery's offices.
On its main gate, the brewery's golden crest, which depicts two lions rampant standing on either side of a beer cask, shone in the sun.
Ali Sher, 43, has worked at the brewery for the past three years. He is a quality control supervisor. While he may not have firsthand experience of the product, he is unlikely to be the source of any pilferage.
"I have never tasted the drink as I am a Muslim who prays five times a day," he said.
Murree also produces popular fruit juices, marmalades and vinegar.
The days of unfettered excess belong to the British colonial past. The brewery's leather-bound records recall that at the end of the 19th century the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders consumed 4,000 hogsheads (21,600 gallons) of Murree beer in three years of service. In those days the company slogan was "Eat, drink and be Murree".
The brewery remained at the hill station until a mob burnt it in 1947.
In 1977 the former prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, an avowed "progressive", bowed to the demands of Islamic political parties and imposed an alcohol ban.
Mr Bhandara's father, Minoo, who died last year aged 70 after being injured in a car crash, was a much-loved scourge of Pakistan's religious bigots.
A sybarite, a member of Pakistan's parliament and an Oxford graduate, the elder Mr Bhandara battled against the "Teatotalitarian" state.
The brewery continues to face harassment from some Islamist political parties.
Attaur Rehman, the minister for tourism who is the brother of the head of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, has recently closed down the brewery's sales outlet in Rawalpindi's Flashman's Hotel.
But the brewery has friends in high places too. Pakistan's former president, Gen Pervez Musharraf, is partial to a chota peg (small dram) of whisky, and the colonial-era army chief's residence - where he still resides - sits opposite the brewery.
Mr Bhandara hopes that Murree beer, which like its other alcoholic products is forbidden to be exported under Pakistani law, will soon be available outside Pakistan.
"We want to sell it under the slogan 'Have a Murree With Your Curry' if we can get foreign brewers to produce the old sahib's favourite drink under license," Mr Maj Sabih said.
iwilkinson@thenational.ae
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Ziyadd, Richard Mullen (jockey), Jean de Roualle (trainer).
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
Winner: Secret Advisor, Tadhg O’Shea, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Plata O Plomo, Carlos Lopez, Susanne Berneklint.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”