The pictures of an alcoholic drink Ginnah, which is seemingly named in memory of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, are going viral. Interestingly, the label also gives a detailed description of Jinnah, his lifestyle, and how he wanted to see Pakistan. It also states that Pakistan was converted to a troubled place by a dictator with support from Washington DC.
The bottom of the label states it as “In the memory of the man of pleasure who he was: Ginnah”.
Perhaps, the label has associated Ginnah with Jinnah due to similar pronunciation, but the explanation about the legalization of alcohol in Pakistan with respect to political regime gives people a reason to recognize this drink as source of pleasure.
Alcoholic Drink Ginnah and Ban on Alcohol in Pakistan
Delving deeper into the details of Ginnah which is a Gin, the label says that the drink consists of the essence of dried fruits, spices, and herbs. It also tells that Muhammad Ali Jinnah who was the founder of Pakistan used to enjoy Gin, whiskey, fine scotch, and even pork sausages.
The label doesn’t remain restricted to depicting Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a man of pleasure but also makes an attempt to explain how present-day Pakistan is in staunch contradiction with the ideals of Jinnah- the man who is founding father of the nation. Interestingly, How Jinnah wanted Pakistan to see and what were his ideas regarding its future are still a matter of debate among the people, despite the fact that more than seven decades have passed since the indepenence of the country.
The description of present-day Pakistan on alcoholic drink Ginnah says, “… the country was pushed over the cliff by a military dictator, aided by supporters in Washington DC, and converted to a troubled place where he and some of the religious clergy pursued their sinister designs. M.A Jinnah would never have approved of that…”
While military dictator whom the label has not mentioned clearly since there were four such in Pakistan, seems to be Zia-ul-Haq (due to his Islamization stance), it is to be noted that alcohol in Pakistan was banned in 1977 by the regime of then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Until 1977 since the formation of Pakistan alcohol was probably freely available in the country. In the late 70s, ZAB’s government had to put a ban on alcohol to appease the clergy that along with bourgeois ran PNA (Pakistan National Alliance) to implement Nizam-e-Mustafa in the country.
Ginnah and Muhammad Ali Jinnah
The company seems to have made an attempt to sell the drink by associating with what it describes as a man of pleasure. However, the explanation on the label about who was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, how he would have wanted to see Pakistan, and what the present-day Pakistan is a political and controversial matter in the country which is the Islamic Republic. Very often factions that follow opposite ideologies make an attempt to defend their stance on the basis of what Jinnah’s take would have been on this very particular matter.
There is no doubt that everyone in Pakistan respects Muhammad Ali Jinnah as he was the founder of the country but he still remains a controversial figure when it comes to how he really wanted to envision Pakistan since most of the times his quotes are cherry-picked and he is quoted without narrating the context.
One thing which remains common is he is used to selling the stuff, whether it is an ideology, a narrative or merely an alcoholic drink ginnah.
