By R.A.Malik & SufianPracha
- Says China Pakistan Economic Corridor will cast positive impact on the country
QUESTION: Murree Brewery is one of the oldest companies of the sub-continent, first of
all please tell us when it came into being and who laid its foundation stone?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well, thank you for the interview for the National Herald Tribune. Murree Brewery is a public limited company and the oldest company on the sub continent’s stock exchange. Murree brewery started in 1860 in GohraGali, Murree mountains. It was founded by the British at the time of the Raj to cater for the needs of the British troops stationed in present days Pakistan and it continued to work at GohraGali from 1860 to about 1890. Then it was shifted to Rawalpindi, at present location. It came into our family in 1947 when my grandfather bought over the majority shares from the British at the time of partition and one had to decide whether he had to be on Pakistan-side or the other and my grandfather decided to buy the shares and stay on the Pakistan side. That’s how it came in the family in 1947 and I am the third generation, from my grandfather to my father and then to me, so this is the brief history of Murree Brewery.
QUESTION: What are the major products of the company?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Yes, we make all sorts of products and we make very famous brands, bigg apple, we make non-alcoholic bears, we make fruit juices, we make mineral water and I must say that all the drinks that we have in the market, I will not name any one because it is against the ethics, all the big companies, multinationals, they don’t have nutrition in their products, whereas our products are made from malt and barley. In other words, it is like ‘Sattu’ , what we have in our villages. Moreover other drinks are colourbased , they don’t have a nutritional value. I do not allow my young children to have energy drinks and other colour drinks because they are not good for health. But our products are not artificial, they are actually made from malt , wheat and barley. So ours is full of nutritional value like having ‘Sattu’. So other than alcoholic we have a long range of nonalcoholic products, beverages juices, ketchups and everything that we do, we do ethically. We are certified by all the government organizations. We are ISO 9000. We have many quality ISO 9000s, environmental ISO 9000s. And we have certification from the government of Punjab, from federal departments, PSQCA and we have ‘ hillal’ certificate for our nonalcoholic products. So we comply with all rules and regulations of health as well as the FBR from the tax point of view.
QUESTION: Whether you have any intention to venture-in for any other field in future?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well, beverage sector, the one my sector, is one of the fastest growing sectors in Pakistan, I mean food and beverages, even the beverages come on number one vis-a-vis the commercial time taken on television, it means that there is a lot of potential. So our expertise is in beverages and I would like to concentrate to expand my own business rather than venturing into a business about which I am not assure of. So I would like to further grow in the field of beverages.
QUESTION: OK, You are also a member of the Parliament, What you have done so far, for the welfare of the minority community?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well I shall give you a factual report. During last two and a half years as MNA, despite the limited resources, I did my best to serve the community. You know an MNA gets only two to three crore rupees in one year whereas, an MPA gets about fifteen to twenty five crores, an MPA in Balochistan takes about thirty to forty crores, which is very unfortunate. So whatever limited resources I received, I put in my constituency for the welfare of ‘Kalasha’ people . We have given projects and schemes worth two crore rupees in ‘Kalasha’. I have built small community centres in South Punjab for Hindus. I have extended financial help to some poor Parsi people in Karachi, some poor people in ‘Kalash’ some poor Buddhists which are spread all over Pakistan. I have also helped them through my own pocket, through the government pocket but I would appeal and protest with my own government that the funds being given to MNAs is a laughing stock. In such a situation how can you expect from any one to deliver. People also expect projects to be executed, financial aid to be given. But the funds are lesser but I have done what I can do in my limited capacity and will continue in future also.
QUESTION:What challenges you faced in the field after succeeding this huge business empire established by your forefathers and do you think the existing environment in the country as business friendly particularly in the background of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well, I am part of the CPEC Committee and I was fortunate enough that I was honoured to be the member of this Body. Coming back to your earlier question, you know the atmosphere in Pakistan is not very conducive for the foreign investors. They will not like to invest in such an atmosphere of tension. There is a war going on, government is doing its duty but the foreign investor will think ten times before putting his money. But at the same time I will take this opportunity to tell you that, yes foreign investment is good but the government should also support the local investors such as me, myself. One finds corruption, red-tape, which is very much a discouragement at all levels. I will not take any government department name. But still the Prime Minister’s vision is very clear to attract foreign investment but that vision is not being shared by members of his own team, some members of the bureaucratic team. So everyone is there for their own financial gains or authoritative gains. No one wants to look at the larger picture. For example Punjab government is not concerned about the revenue fall of the Sindh government and the Sindh government does not care about the revenue or the fall of revenue for the Punjab government. Every person, every province is only concerned with their own problems, their own standings. This thinking has to be changed. We have to think and act like a federation where we call it ‘ Wafaq’. But this thinking of federation lacks among us, among politicians, among bureaucrats I meet. Any person associated with the government of Pakistan, he or they are not concerned about the overall picture of Pakistan. They are only concerned about their own department’s growth. They say we are only concerned with our own department’s growth. So if the other department is going into deficit, into a loss because of your wrong policy they will look at their own department’s gain whether it is Rs.100/- but if that policy incurs Rs 1000/- loss to any other department of any other government they are not concerned about that. They are only concerned about their own increase.
QUESTION: What your government is doing to change this tendency?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Corruption, creating hurdles is a mindset. It cannot be changed by one Nawaz Sharif , by one Ishaq Dar, by one person, two persons or three persons. It’s a mindset. A businessman is seen in this country as a fat cow. The impression is that every businessman is loaded with money; he has a lot of money to throw away. When you will squeeze a businessman, he will cry, he will shift his industry to Bangladesh, China or somewhere else. Then why are you yelling at foreigners to come into Pakistan? Why are you begging when your own businessman is suffering from? Whether it is due to the wrong policy of a bureaucrat or a department but it does not necessarily mean it is the wrong policy of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has made it very clear that we want business. We have a business-minded Prime Minister luckily, that is why we have CPEC going on and Inshallah we will see good results after a couple of years. But the flawed policies, the bureaucratic policies are not made by the Prime Minister or the Finance Minister. A bureaucrat in this country has too much powers again I repeat the bureaucrat in this country has too much powers which should be curtailed with the strike of a pen, he can do anything. So much so he can give ‘goli’ to even a Minister, even a senior person. The Minister does not know how to manage the file. He is just at the end of the line, making the decision or approving the decision or whatever. The main person who is making the case or spoiling the case is a bureaucrat, he is the Section Officer, he is the Investigating Officer.
QUESTION: In what context you have said, ‘we brew illegitimate but in a legitimate way’?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well , we make alcohol no doubt, but in the way of making alcohol, there is no fraud, there is no hanky panky . We don’t do anything wrong. We pay our taxes, we don’t believe in adulteration. We pay all our dues in time. We pay salaries to our people on time. We do everything in a legitimate manner, this is what I mean.
QUESTION: Murree Brewery is known for patronizing Polo. Whether you are sponsoring some other games also or not?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: No we are not sponsoring a lot of games. We sponsor the oldest Polo tournament of 1904. But it will not be out of question to mention here that I would like to give money to hospitals, Orphanages, education, charities. I would not like to spend money on advertisement, concerts, on charity balls and on a lot of sports activities. We do not do that. We get a lot of requests but I do not like to sponsor such happy events. I personally think that we should have to look-after the needy people.
QUESTION: You are also fond of old cars; would you like to tell us about your existing fleet?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well,( laughter) I don’t want to take your readers time. It is my hobby to collect old cars. Everyone should have passion of something, some collects guns, some collects women also (laughter). But I likes collecting old Mercedes having models of 60’s 70’s & 80’s.
QUESTION: What is the number of such cars?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Well, you don’t count your children, it’s a bad omen. ( laughter)
QUESTION: In the end would you like to give some message to the people?
Isphanyar M. Bhandara: Definitely, there is a message. This is a message which a German told me, ‘Pakistanis want to get rich overnight, without hard work, which is absolutely not possible’. He said look at Germany which totally destroyed back in World War-II. Look, where they are today. Look Japan which was totally destroyed, look where they are today, almost number one economy in the world, just a small island. I am also Pakistani, and I am proud of it, but the problem with our people is either he is a politician, rich or poor everyone wants to become Bill Gates overnight, without a hard work. Bill Gates became Bill Gates over a number of years, twenty years, thirty years or his lifetime. If I became rich, my elders did their work, twenty years, thirty years or forty years. But I shall not blame every Pakistani, but generally, a person who became rich, he became rich overnight. So a poor person looking at him, thinks, if he can become rich overnight, why not he. So he also tries to do similar things. Hence no one wants to work honestly. Everyone is in search of a short cut, but this tendency will not work, it’s a curse, we will have to abandon it and have to work hard to move forward.
Thank you, Mr. Bhandara for sparing your precious time for the interview.
