ISLAMABAD – Murree Brewery, a Pakistani multinational manufacturer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, donated Rs2.1 million to the Supreme Court’s Diamer-Basha and Mohmand dam fund on Wednesday.
The chief executive of Rawalpindi-based company, Isphanyar Bhandara presented a cheque to Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Founded by the British in 1860 and now Parsi-owned, Murree brewery has been burnt down by protesters, temporarily shut down in a purge and continues to survive prohibition, which was imposed in the 1970s.
However, the country’s largest and oldest producer of alcoholic products has now an annual growth of between 15 to 20 percent.
Still, the 155-year-old company can sell only to the 3% of the 207m-strong population that is comprised of foreigners and non-Muslims.
Its donation comes a month after the country’s top court had directed authorities to immediately start construction of the two dams — 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha and 700MW Mohmand.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/supreme-court-issues-notice-to-malik-riaz-hours-after-bahria-town-donates-42-5-million-to-dams-fund/
In the second week of July, CJP Saqib Nisar had also appealed to the general public, including Pakistanis residing abroad, to donate for the cause, and also contributed Rs1 million to the account. His donation was the first contribution to the said account, according to a press release on the Supreme Court’s website.
So far, an amount of Rs941,725,886 has been deposited to the account.
The Pakistan Army, the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, SC staff and Pemra are among those who have contributed to the fund.
Officers of the Pakistan armed forces will also contribute to the fund, according to Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor.
https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1016284789320675328
“Pakistan Armed Forces contributing to Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dam Fund. Officers of Pak Army, Navy and Air Force will contribute their two days’ pay while soldiers one day’s pay to the announced fund for this national cause,” tweeted Major General Asif Ghafoor.
Officials of SBP and several commercial banks have also donated their one-day salary for the dams construction.
Officers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government also announced to contribute their three-day salary to the fund for the dams’ construction.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/kp-govt-officers-donate-for-diamer-bhasha-mohmand-dam-fund/
Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Hasan Askari also wrote a cheque of Rs0.5million for the fund. “The construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam is extremely important for Pakistan,” he said, adding that the nation should actively participate in raising funds for the construction of the dam.
All donations go to an account, opened by the Ministry of Finance, under the title of “DIAMER-BHASHA AND MOHMAND DAM FUND –2018” (Account No.03-593-299999-001-4 and IBN No.PK06SBPP0035932999990014).
Payments in the fund are received at all branches of the State Bank of Pakistan, all treasuries and branches of the National Bank of Pakistan and all other scheduled banks.
