The provincial government on Tuesday decided to write a letter to the federal government seeking proper guidance, directives and permission under the law to curb trafficking and use of illegal weapons in the province.
This was decided at a meeting to discuss deweaponisation of the province, presided over by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, at the Chief Minister’s House. Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wasan, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas, Additional Secretary (Home) Waseem Ahmed, Secretary to Chief Minister Alamuddin Bullo, Inspector General of Police Wajid Ali Durrani, Law Secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah and Advocate General Abdul Fattah Malik among others attended the meeting.
It was informed at the meeting that on an average, 20 illegal weapons are recovered every day while about 4,000 have been recovered during the current year. To date, 191,780 licences have been issued in the Sindh province, of which 150,000 were issued during the seven-year period from 2001 to 2008.
The participants suggested that a smart card scheme be launched at the provincial level and all issued licences be scrutinised, for which the Home Department has already initiated a computerised system at a cost of Rs 17.5 million. The computerised licence system can also be started in all district headquarters and funds have already been issued to 14 to 15 districts.
It was decided at the meeting that the existing laws regarding ownership of weapons be implemented in letter and spirit. The home minister will talk to all political parties and stakeholders for their suggestions and cooperation regarding deweaponisation.
The chief minister was of the view that there is a huge quantity of illegal weapons in the province, particularly Karachi, and prompt, effective measures must be taken to curb the trend. The police have recovered huge quantities of illegal arms, while all political parties and other groups demand the province to be made free of illicit arms, he added.
Shah directed the officials concerned to approach the federal government for the proposed efforts. He also said that the system should be made better so that people do not face any difficulty.
