CAN’T sell it (freely) at home, can’t send it abroad for sale — it’s a heroic, almost Sisyphean, task that the makers of the iconic Murree beer and sundry alcoholic beverages are faced with. But where there is a will — and who would question the will of supply meeting demand in the beer-soaked corners of the world — there may just be a way: Murree Brewery is once again on the hunt for a partner to manufacture and distribute its products in India. Despite owning a historical brewery in Rawalpindi, the laws prevent the export of Murree Brewery’s most famous product. Presumably, the phrases ‘Islamic Republic’ and ‘exporter of beer’ are too volatile a combination in the Pakistan of today to be sat next to one another.

But where Pakistan has refused to take advantage of an image-enhancing possibility — better the country’s most famous export be something less lethal than what the rest of the world seems to believe is this country’s most famous export: terrorism — Indian law may have come to the rescue. Further liberalisation of the foreign investment regime in India has given the brewery a chance to add a new M-word to the Indian conversation on Pakistan: Murree — infinitely more palatable than what Mumbai has come to represent in recent years for India-Pakistan ties. And for the market here, there is the knowledge that domestic supplies will not get re-routed to a more lucrative foreign market. Is it a win-win situation for the brewery then? Not as yet. As Western juggernauts have discovered, beer is a fiendishly difficult market to break into internationally. Local palates, advertising and navigating a difficult business landscape are the key hurdles. Which is why, a year on, Murree Brewery is looking for a new Indian partner.