Murree Brewery restarts alcohol exports after 48 years

What changed, and why it matters

Murree Brewery, Pakistan’s only locally-owned brewery, has resumed exporting alcoholic beverages after a ban that stretched for nearly five decades. The move is notable because alcohol remains legally prohibited for Pakistan’s Muslim majority, while permitted sales are limited to non-Muslims and foreigners with government permits. Exporting alcohol introduces a new channel for the company in an economy where foreign currency is described as urgently needed.

The brewery’s export manager, Rameez (Ramiz) Shah, told PTI that shipments in April included beer and other alcoholic spirits sent to the United Kingdom, Japan, Portugal and Thailand. Exports are being directed only to countries outside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a bloc of 57 nations with significant Muslim populations. The export decision reflects a narrow policy pathway rather than a broad change in domestic rules.

A ban rooted in 1977 policy decisions

Alcohol was available to all Pakistanis until 1977, when then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto banned it under pressure from Islamist parties. While Murree Brewery was allowed to continue producing for domestic, licensed consumption, the ability to export alcohol was effectively shut. The export ban endured for decades on the stated logic that an Islamic republic should not be seen shipping alcohol abroad.

For Murree Brewery, the change restores a business line it had before the ban. Company accounts in the report indicate that prior to 1977, Murree shipped alcohol to multiple markets, including India, Afghanistan and the United States. After the ban, those channels disappeared and the company had to operate within a tightly controlled domestic framework.

How the export pathway reopened

Multiple reports in the provided material point to a policy shift in 2022, when Pakistan revised its export policy to allow alcohol shipments to nations outside the OIC. Even with this change, permissions are not described as automatic, and producers must obtain departmental clearances before exports can proceed.

Shah said Murree Brewery received Pakistan government approval to export alcohol products in 2025, with one account specifying official permission in September 2025. The company has described early overseas consignments as “experimental exports” to test the process and gauge demand. The reopening is framed as a regulatory exception built around export geography and approvals, rather than a broader liberalisation.

Where Murree is exporting now, and where it is looking next

According to Shah, exports in April went to the UK, Japan, Portugal and Thailand. Separate reporting also notes the company’s intention to pursue additional markets, including the United States and Canada, while recognising that earlier pre-ban markets such as India and Afghanistan are not current targets.

The company’s strategy, as described by Shah, is to work with distributors abroad that were previously trading Murree’s non-alcoholic products. Murree is also focusing on establishing a network first, before increasing production materially. Another account notes that the brewery is exploring joint ventures to develop new markets.

Operations: steady output, cautious scaling

Murree Brewery’s factory in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, is depicted as running high volumes. One report states that more than a million cans of beer roll off the production line every month. Even so, the company has indicated it does not need to immediately “crank up” production to meet early export demand, suggesting the initial phase is designed as a controlled ramp-up.

The same reports describe lingering hurdles, including bureaucratic red tape. Murree is currently the only company said to have received the green light to export alcoholic drinks after the long export freeze, increasing the importance of compliance and clearances in shaping timelines and scale.

Financial context: non-alcoholic business has been the base

For several years, Murree Brewery has been exporting non-alcoholic products such as packaged juice, mineral water and fruit-flavoured malts. One account says these non-alcoholic products earn the company about US$100 million annually. Another report says the company recorded its strongest financial year yet in 2025, with revenues exceeding US$100 million.

These figures underline that the company is not new to exports. Alcohol exports are being added onto an existing distribution and export capability built around non-alcoholic beverages, which may help Murree manage compliance, logistics, and partner relationships.

Policy and economy: foreign exchange is the stated driver

The government’s motivation is explicitly linked to foreign exchange needs in the reporting. The material describes Pakistan’s economy as being under severe strain, with foreign currency reserves under pressure and repeated engagement with IMF bailout cycles. In this context, alcohol exports are presented as a pragmatic revenue source, even as domestic prohibitions and constitutional framing of alcohol as a vice remain in place.

The reports also note that Pakistan has not specified a revenue target from alcohol exports. That absence suggests exports are currently being treated as incremental support for foreign currency inflows rather than a fully developed national export segment with published targets.

Key facts at a glance

Why this is a milestone, even without domestic rule changes

Murree Brewery’s restart of alcohol exports is significant mainly because it ends a decades-long restriction on cross-border trade in a product that remains politically and religiously sensitive in Pakistan. The policy design also shows how exports are being ring-fenced: shipments are restricted to non-OIC destinations and require specific clearances.

For Murree, the development reopens an international channel while leaning on distributors built through non-alcoholic exports. For Pakistan’s policymakers, the change is framed as economics-led, with foreign exchange as the central rationale, rather than a shift in how alcohol is viewed domestically.

What to watch next

Murree Brewery has indicated it is expanding conversations beyond its initial destinations and is actively pursuing markets such as the United States and Canada. The pace and scale will depend on regulatory clearances, distributor readiness, and whether the government extends export rights to additional producers. For now, the company’s own stated approach is cautious: build the network first, then increase production if demand warrants it.