Sindh

Deweaponisation bill: Weapon-free Pakistan?

MQM submits sweeping bill in the National Assembly Secretariat.

Irfan Ghauri January 18, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

In the backdrop of fresh violence in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) submitted on Monday an elaborate and ambitious draft bill in the National Assembly Secretariat seeking to rid the country of weapons.

The ‘Deweaponisation of Pakistan Bill of 2011’, filed as private members’ bill, calls for banning the production, proliferation, smuggling, import and use of firearms and ammunition and explosives “to restore public order in the country”.

Yet, experts and analysts are sceptical about the fecundity of the bill.

MQM’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party would also introduce the bill in the Senate on Tuesday and contact other parties to secure endorsement for it.

The bill provides “measures for banning the unauthorised production, illicit trafficking, possession and use of arms and weapons, so as to eradicate killings, kidnapping for ransom and extortion by terrorists, criminals and anti-social elements for waging guerrilla war against the state, indulgence in vandalism, mass destruction, suicide bombing, desecration of places of worship, killings of innocent citizens, and to restore peace, tranquility, sanity and public order in the country,” the MQM leader said reading from the bill.

Highlighting statistics, he said that between 2006 and 2009, terrorists and criminals had struck 6,894 times using illicit arms across the country, killing 9,643 people, injuring 18,788 more, besides kidnapping thousands of citizens for ransom.

The bill, if passed, will be applicable in four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) but it would not apply on arms, ammunition in the possession of armed forces and law-enforcement agencies working under government control.

Reaction by experts and analysts

The Express Tribune contacted analysts and experts for comments on the bill, and its possible outcome.

Ejaz Haider, Contributing editor for The Friday Times and columnist for The Express Tribune: “Officially, Pakistan goes by the UK framework, that no one except authorised personnel of the military or police can carry weapons. The other paradigm is the US where everyone can. So while formally Pakistan follows the UK model, de facto we’ve allowed arms to proliferate. You have MNAs, MPAs and senators with quotas to buy weapons and you can also get illegal arms here. In the US, they do not allow people to buy automatic weapons. In Pakistan, you can find Uzis or Kalashnikovs, which are essentially used by armed forces.

“The funny thing is that the last time I checked, the interior ministry had three different figures for the number of arms licences issued. So if you don’t have an exact figure that’s a problem. It’s difficult to have a guesstimate but whatever the number of legal weapons is, multiply it by at least 10 and that’s the amount of illicit weapons. I had also suggested to the interior ministry that one way to check this is to start tracing the ammunition. It gives you a trail to what kind of ammunition this was and where it was produced. If illegal arms are coming in then obviously the law enforcement officials are also involved.

“The last three to four times they tried to do this deweaponisation plan they badly failed. It also has to be evenhanded. You can’t target specific people or areas – the whole idea of prosecution becomes lopsided.”

Imtiaz Gul, analyst, author of The Al Qaeda Connection: “This is a very complicated matter and it is not in the hands of the government, but of the political parties. The PPP, ANP, MQM and Jamaat-e-Islami all have militants in their fold – any law you bring about would be ineffective if it is not enforced on them. The parties don’t seem to have the political will. Even if they did have the political will, it would take quite a lot of time for the weaponry that has been amassed to be dug out.”

Mosharraf Zaidi, analyst: “Deweaponisation programmes haven’t been that successful in Afghanistan – which is geographically closest to us – and that was a sponsored, funded campaign. The top line issue here is that in a society where laws do exist and are misused or not used at all, what value does a new law have.

“So a new law is a probably a good first step, but a miniscule step. The idea of deweaponising Karachi – let alone Pakistan – is a big deal. It is ironic and interesting that the MQM is the one to sponsor the bill. If implemented, this would be the first time since in the mid-1960s that Karachi would be free of weapons. It is a good initiative, but there is a bigger structural problem in Pakistani society – a lack of respect for existing laws. Traditionally, where we’ve seen deweaponisation programmes work is not really on a national level but on a smaller one – towns and villages and so. The other key issue is finances – it is a really expensive programme to run and the only incentive you can offer people is to give them an above market value for the arms. Given the quality of public policy in the country, I doubt that this is a consideration for the interior ministry and any of the provincial home departments. Will the government have the wherewithal to challenge political interests that have weapons – to go after stores that supply to political parties? That’s a big question - so if it happens, hallelujah, but it doesn’t seem possible.”

Former interior minister Moinuddin Haider: “There is already a law in the country to deal with weapons. Now if you can’t implement that, then what use will it be to have a new law? In Pakistan there is a huge proliferation of arms right now, everyone from the security guards with women shopping to policemen are armed. Whether it is the UAE or the UK, it is hard to find police officials who are armed like they are here. You need to create a culture to carry out a programme like this. When we implemented it during General Pervez Musharraf’s time, there was a lot of resistance. We ran campaigns for the general public and educated policemen on it as well. The idea was that, till 15 days after the campaign was initiated, people could hand in their weapons to the police and there would be no questions asked. It was so successful that we received 80,000 illegal weapons and we were asked by the provinces to extend the deadline by a few months but we refused to because it would mean we would go back on our word. After the deadline, we carried out raids and implemented the law very strictly. I do not think anyone in Pakistan is serious about deweaponisation right now. These look like political tactics to show that ‘we are peace loving’ etc.”

Propositions: Salient features

Ban on issuance of licence:

No arms licence shall be issued by the government to any person with effect from the commencement of this act.

Punishment

Whosoever contravenes, such arms will be seized and forfeited by government and he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than seven years and not more than 12 years and shall also be liable to fine up to Rs5 million. In case of default, he shall be liable for a further imprisonment period of three years.

Surrender and seizure of arms and weapons:

All persons who are in possession of arms, ammunition, and weapons without any authorisation or valid licence, would be required to surrender them to the authorised person or agency designated by the government in the district where they ordinarily reside, within three months.

The licences of all arms and ammunitions issued to individuals, companies and dealers by the government prior to the commencement of this Act shall stand cancelled without any notice after three months from the enactment of this law.

Prohibition on illicit manufacturing of weapons:

No person shall manufacture, produce and assemble arms and ammunitions illicitly anywhere in Pakistan after three months from the commencement of this Act.

Contravention of illicit manufacture:

Whosoever contravenes the provisions of Section 10 shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than twelve years and shall also be liable to fine not less than ten million. In case of non-payment of fine he may be punished with further imprisonment up to a period of three year.

Prohibition of illicit trafficking in arms and weapons:

Whosoever indulges in the illicit trade or trafficking in firearms, ammunitions, weapons and their parts and components within the territories of Pakistan shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than nine years and shall also be fined not less than rupees seven and a half million and in default of such payment shall undergo imprisonment for a further period of three years.

Prohibition of display of arms:

Whosoever displays new, operational, old or ancestral non-operative arms or weapons in public shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding seven years and fine not more than rupees five million only.

Disposal of arms, ammunitions and weapons deposited by licencees:

All licenced arms, ammunition and weapons deposited under Section 8 of the act shall be sold to government agencies at market price and the proceeds so received shall be paid to persons who had held the licence and owned the said arms and weapons.

Committee to supervise whole process

An 11-member committee headed by a retired judge of a High or Supreme Court will supervise the whole process of implementation of the law and give its recommendations to fulfill the objectives of the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2011.

COMMENTS (75)

Shams Rehman | 13 years ago | Reply Lets not fool ourselves. I would oppose any law that is focused to disarm the civilian who legally possess firearms and contribute to national treasury in form of initial fees and annual fees. Forcing law abiding citizens to give up the weapons does not mean end of crime. In fact, by definition a criminal would exactly do the opposite and acquire arms without proper permission. Thus, a green signal for criminals to go around run havoc on law abiding citizens. I do not trust police to protect us. They cant, and never will be. Our Constitution explicitly states that there shall be no law contradicting teachings of Islam. Whereas it is the saying of our Prophet (PBUH) that if you cannot afford a good weapon then keep a staff. Such law which prohibits what our Prophet (PBUH) ordered us, would be ultra viries to the Constitution. Not only that, but it may have other ramifications of imposing a law that undermines a saying of Prophet (PBUH). In the US, right to bare arm is a constitutional right. That right empowers the civilians to keep a check on the government. If people did not have weapons the US would still be a British Colony- I for one, would have hated to see that. It is a huge strength of our nation that we have civilian who are ready to assist the government in a rightful cause if there is ever such need. Apart from that, we must realize that firearm is proper recognized sport around that world that includes but not limited to hunting and other shooting events. Its even a recognized sport in Olympics. And firearms collection is a world class recognized hobby. The need is not the make stupid laws, but to enforce the existing laws and keep the illegal weapons off the street and make it near impossible for criminals and smugglers to disseminate unlicensed weapons in the country. Why doesn't the government take action against known smugglers. I need not to list them here since authorities already know them. Few of them are in Peshawer, some in Lahore neela ghumbad, but most in Karachi. I am for enforcing the existing laws that eradicate illegal weapons, but not for imposing ban on civilians who are law abiding. It is VERY and rare that a licensed weapon will ever be used in a crime. Make a good central database of all licenses. A licensed weapon is only used in home defense or self defense apart from sports. I hope my comments bring some sanity to this obscure discussion, and encourage the sensible politicians to force an amendment in the constitution to protect our right to own firearms, just like the Americans- who are the beacon of modern day democracy in the world, but more importantly such amendment will guarantee the will of our Prophet (PBUH) in the constitution. Peace

Ricky | 13 years ago | Reply Great Step By MQM, But Deweaponization of KP Province is the first need for Pakistan

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karachiite | 13 years ago | Reply Stop wasting parliament's time and tell your unit leaders, labour wing and death squads to submit their weapons first that would solve 80% of Karachi's problems

Ghausia | 13 years ago | Reply Okay I'm confused. Does this mean that people can't carry weapons for personal safety? So, three men burst into a house with just a woman and her three young children in it, and she has no way of protecting herself? Alright suppose those three men don't have guns either. What about knives, or just plain brute force?

stablemind | 13 years ago | Reply Late come Right come..,but the main question is that will this govenment be able to do all that.,CERTAINLY NOT.,(1)will all basements of mosques and underground/under-tiolet stores of weapons in madrassas.,(2) will all hostels/labelled-hostels would be cleaned from deadly weapons., (3)will all DERAS of elected and non-elected people whose kitchens and basements will be cleaned from drastic storage weapons (4).,will all big palaces with Huge entry gates will be cleaned from deadly stores of weapons.,the answer is CERTAINLY NOT.,because most or all influential people will NEVER voluntarily evacuate their (they think) POWER SOURCE.,and most important to note is that if we try to make a rough idea then this whole weapon pool becomes about 600 times of that possessed by our whole police.,and about four to five times the whole traditional weapons possessed by our army.,question is WHAT ARE THOSE UN-SEEN HANDS AND MINDS WHICH ARE CREATING THIS SITUITION.,AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE BEING ARRANGED SO.,in my personal opinion ANY government whether elected or forced will do that work.,it will be a really great service of the nation.,the reason being that only and only poor or mediaker people will be killed by these weapons and NOT this ashraafiya class.,,if and whenever this storage is used..ay khuda mere jannat jaise des ko har khabees ki nazre-bad se bacha.

jamil | 13 years ago | Reply BOLDEST REFORMERS! TRUELY GENUINE MOVE I would ask people those who only want Karachi to be deweapnized not the whole country what kind of sick suggestion is that.... IS KARACHI HAS FACTORIES TO MANUFACTURE WEAPONS TO KILL THE PEOPLE OF ANY RELIGION, FACTION OR ETHNIC BACKGROUND IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY WHO ARE THE MERCHANTS OF DEATH? AND SELLING AMMUNITION? ARE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN NOT KILLED OR MURDERED BY WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES ON OTHER PARTS OF PAKISTAN? If you are educated and followers of Islam so everybody is treated equally so why people are opposing the genuine bill which would create stability in law and order situation in the whole country and save the lives of thousands of people facing killings, murders and explosions in the name of politics, jihad and personal fightings on ZAMINDARI and make people slave on their lands by WADERAS AND JAGIRDARS with big own godwons of ammunition to suppress the people to rule on them. BE GENUINE AND NOT TO BE BLIND WITH ETHNIC MENTALTY! MUCH APPRECIATED MOVE BUT ITS HARD TO BE TRUE IN CURRENT SYSTEM! ALL THE BEST!.....DR.

HS | 13 years ago | Reply @Faraz In MQM meetings they plan to destabilize Pakistan? Really? Quite a good imagination. Maybe you should write a novel on it....

zain | 13 years ago | Reply Does anyone know what happened to the Land reforms bill submitted by the MQM? there was a big hullabaloo about that as well!!

Falak | 13 years ago | Reply And what are we going to do about the land cruisers that go around Karachi with armed men who are obviously not the police and who display all sorts of intimidating weapoins? They are all attached to random important people who have something to do with leading political parties. Will the leading political parties allow their own to be disarmed? How will they then accomplish their targeted killings?

PakiBoy | 13 years ago | Reply How do they do this. I mean every time, when the forces against these elements gather and unite to execute these criminals, MQM brings something in out of nowhere to divert the attention. These guyz are incredible at what they do. Perhaps , this is the reason Karachi faces this kinda situation every now and then as some real intelligent and cunning minds are behind them. Point to be noted fellas!

zenia | 13 years ago | Reply Way to go. If weapons can be the source of violence - de-weaponization could potentially have an antidotal effect. Violence can not be eradicated but it can be prevented.

Kaiser | 13 years ago | Reply @ Mr. Abbasi - I think they are trying to and asking to have a law of de-weaponization. Unless you have a law for something which is wrong you cannot start. It is not a matter of tribal areas or Urban areas, it is to stand for what is right and what is wrong. Taking about tribal areas, every nation have to evolve, giving references of history and believe that something will never change is not right. Situations changes and we have to adopt what is required to move forward. They are not asking to de-weaponize any purticular party or area they are asking for the whole country. Karachi situation is again controllable, there is a need for a will from govt. The militant activities up north and sectarian violence is more critical, one of the solution for that is de-weaponization.

Hamza Baloch | 13 years ago | Reply Good Job Mqm... to provide a another topic" to Media for discussion :)

FF | 13 years ago | Reply A Pakistan in which our rare birds and antelope are allowed to live without the threat of being shot and hung on the walls of our finest country clubs. What an incredible treat that would be.

Faraz | 13 years ago | Reply This article or news was not about KP. Its KP culture they live like that, you cannot change it. The issue now a days is Karachi and target killing and we have seen footage and all know MQM is behind this. The weapons shown on footage are not like KP ones. It were people carrying MQM flags and weapons no one seen in Pakistan before. We should examine how MQM gets these weapons, and possible this link will go to India. As their beloved Altaf bhai can go to India and cannot come to Pakistan. First clean yourself and then point fingers on others. Everyone in this country knows who are professional mafia and killers in Karachi. And the youtube link someone gave above was uploaded by an Indian, giving hype to a normal thing in KP. Why don't people make video clips of what happens in MQM meetings, how they plan to destabilize pak? or how the MQM get weapons? Make videos on that issue if you can.

Absar | 13 years ago | Reply Firearms law in Pakistan should be as strict as in UK

Absar | 13 years ago | Reply Nice step by MQM since it is a lot much needed now! While MQM has joined the coalition again, it must ensure that its finalization and implementation is carried out sooner than later. This could become their landmark achievement, otherwise being in coalition for 3 years now -- just for the sake of pseudo national interest and pseudo democratic setup -- MQM has done nothing good so far.

Ahson Hasan | 13 years ago | Reply Does he really mean it or is it just a political, look-good statement?

Waleed | 13 years ago | Reply MQM should de-weoponise first before telling others.

Faiz | 13 years ago | Reply This is another delaying tactic of the MQM.

suggestion | 13 years ago | Reply A little less conversation a little more action please!

Parvez+Mahmud | 13 years ago | Reply Guns don't kill, criminals kill.

Qaisrani | 13 years ago | Reply It would have been far more better, if Mr Sattar's party would have de-weaponised itself first. If you say that stop the incoming illegal weapons to reach Karachi, first stop their demand there. The supply would automatically stop when there is no demand. Whole of Pakistan, rather world, knows who are the purchasers of illegal arms in Karachi. These gimmickries & dramabazis can not fool the people.

Liaquat Ali | 13 years ago | Reply One of the quickest ways to de-weaponize Pakistan is to disband the illegal weapons factories in KP.

Wasio Ali Khan Abbasi | 13 years ago | Reply Do the claimers and supporters here actually know the ground realities of weapons in other parts of the countries? Are they aware that the days of guarding your village against dacoits with dandas and kulharas are long gone? How do you suppose the robbers and professional dacoits could be de-weaponized? And should Karachi wait until weapons are taken away from all such people? As for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, de-weaponize them? And what do you expect from war-tribes that faced off Alexander's armies, gave tough time to Britishers, are a pillar to Pakistan Army and have been known born and bred as fighters to safeguard their families and villages? Roll over and play dead? Start talking sense and stop cheap publicity stunts. The MQM knows well that these areas cannot be de-weaponized because their survival depends on it. It wasn't the army or MQM that had stopped Taliban, it was these tribes that had halted their progress and still fight them to keep every inch of Pakistan safe. It was these same Pathan Tribesmen that fought Indian Army during 1948 war and guaranteed safety of Azad Kashmir. Their areas CANNOT be de-weaponized. But cities can be and it is easier to do so than going into remote areas where there is no way for government to maintain order. Karachi can be de-weaponized easily and it is Karachi that is suffering the most because of weapons. The inflow of weapons can be controlled as well. Frankly speaking, go out of Karachi city for a few days and it will feel like you actually have a life to live. The city has become a center of bad news and repeated target killings with useless police check points that are always successful at catching innocent people for bribery than anything else.

Ali Haider | 13 years ago | Reply Much needed. However, Rather than just bringing new bills and having them sit on the table, we should ensure implementation of existing laws. If focus is not shifted to implementation, I am afraid, this bill also be a useless effort, like many other laws that just exist and no one cares about them. 90% of crimes in our country happen because of negligence by the police or corruption by the police. You can bring literally any law to the national assembly, but if the police is not taken on board for the implementation, all the time spent on getting the law approved is simply a waste.

jawed sarwar | 13 years ago | Reply This i no secret that that all illegal weapons come from KP to all parts of the country.The main source of supply and distribution must be shut down. Dealers or distributors of weapons must be punished heavely.Karachi must be free from weapons and drug mafias.These people are kiliing innocent civilians. KP must not allow its border for illegal supply of weapons and drugs to other parts of Pakistan. ANP being in power should make sure that spply line is stopped and punish the guns trader.This illegal weapons trading is a menance to Sindh,Punjab and Baluchistan.There will be true peace if all the illegal weapons are out of Karachi and rest of Pakistan.

The Only Normal Person Here. | 13 years ago | Reply MQM proved again that its the only party in Pakistan which makes concrete reforms for public good at large and not just cosmetic amendments.

Salman Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Good Step.. by MQM.. Much Appreciated...

parvez | 13 years ago | Reply Nothing will happen.

Copper | 13 years ago | Reply Its just point scoring, since its almost impossible to de-weaponize KPK and interior Sindh, MQM also won't let only de-weaponisation of Karachi alone. So win-win for MQM.

rehan | 13 years ago | Reply lol! Look who is talking!..Khair on the brighter side..Deyr aye drust aye!

SB | 13 years ago | Reply Great stuff MQM, but im sure that majority of your party members wont be happy

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Very nice step taken. It is very essential to de-weaponise Pakistan in order to maintain peace and prosperity in the country. I hope it is implemented soon.

Arifq | 13 years ago | Reply Even though I fully endorse MQM call for deweaponization, unfortunately it is not doable unless a incentive program is offered. Government must offer its citizens some sort of benefits and assurances if they cannot then it is suicidal to hand over your arms when the other side refuses to oblige. More importantly, eliminate the manufacturing sites and supply routes.

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply I assume that Pakistan already has laws against murder and suicide bombings? Does anyone really think that a law prohibiting weapons is going to stop murder and suicide bombings? How about a law which requires Pakistani's to act with common sense and human decency?

Ahmer | 13 years ago | Reply Disarm the citizens, in other words; for terrorists and other criminals never did seem to be wanting official sanction to carry weapons in this country.

Mrym | 13 years ago | Reply good and pragmatic approach

Hamza | 13 years ago | Reply The open display of arms is not just restricted to Karachi. It has as mentioned above become the'zevar' of the powerful. The society needs to be less hiearchical and this is one step towards it. However, this might have repercussions if its not implemented properly.

Yasir | 13 years ago | Reply Good Move, i hope for its success...

rajalali | 13 years ago | Reply I, agree with Mr.Farroq Sattar that de-weaponisation of entire country including khyber pahktoon khaw and balauchistan and all tribal ares in pakistan. No one should be allowed to have weapons including vaderas, chowdharies etc.

Jahangir Khan | 13 years ago | Reply I will never trust him unless he demands that deweaponisation should begin from karachi, the place where the target killing(mostly of pashtoons) is taking place. May i ask who controls the city of karachi? Who is more powerful than his party in karachi? May i also ask why his party never thought of a deweaponisation bill in the last two decades when the were in power?(by the way they have always been in powerdespite being in minority) the governor belongs to your party. Why dont you ask him to free karachi from weapons?

Disco Molvi | 13 years ago | Reply Guns guns guns!! Everyone check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGVianQJsmQ&feature=related

Gul Khan | 13 years ago | Reply I agree wd Amir butt

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply gud bill ...if approved and implemented .....we have many laws which r only in the constitution but never saw them getimg implemented.....and the quik solution 2 save karachi is dewaponise MQM AND ANP ..than they go on dewaponising the whole country

MN | 13 years ago | Reply Chor machaye shor @ MQM... First de-weaponize MQM

Hani Shah | 13 years ago | Reply @A R Khan Yusufzai Just think before you say, making allegations are very easy but the fact is very different I live in that area and neither I am MQM supporter but I live there and there is no such situation. Its a 100% peaceful area. While what about those no go areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa and Baluchistan and leave about that what about Shurab Goth where a common man cannot even go inside Al Asif-Square where the red flags clearly marks the limit.

satyram | 13 years ago | Reply Please, please Sir, ASAP. And also think about ban of weapons that are illigally being exported trans-boarders.Ek sher arj hai; jehaadi ke bhoot saro se utarne lage hai, pak-parast aapas me hee marne lage hai ! baat karte the jag pe fatah haasil karne kee, huzoor ab apne hee ghar me darne lage hai !!

Fahim Khan | 13 years ago | Reply For everybody information those who always think that this menace is in Karachi are not right because there is not a single weapon factory in Karachi rather they are in Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa and even if they only de-weaponise Karachi the weapons will again come from those areas so cut the roots first and only then this can be successful. Good and logical demand MQM

Faisal | 13 years ago | Reply Good work must be appreciated .... n people stop criticizing at least the positive steps. Be neutral not bias.

Tanveer Khan | 13 years ago | Reply We all must agree with the notion of De-weaponisation but Look who is talking. Murders are talking about cleaning the messes. I request Chief Justice of Pakistan to take sou moto action agaist all these murders and fasicts and corrupt people.

Karim | 13 years ago | Reply Excellent step d-weaponise the whole country not only just Karachi because the whole Pakistan suffers from it not just Karachi street crimes and killing are every where not just in Karachi...

Sualleh | 13 years ago | Reply well done MQM ................ proving to be a patriotic party.

Syed Kashif Rizvi | 13 years ago | Reply Slm every one this is we need so much to make peace in Pakistan, only army n police should have arms and all others dont need arms, look at Europian countries they r following this law n how much peaceful these countries r. i think every Pakistani should support this bill...

Haroon Mohal | 13 years ago | Reply Bill and statements are use less it require action against weapons. and if MQM bring this bill into the assembly then we all should think that why they do? bcoz as per past experience they are only play for own benefits. no one need the weapon if the system is correct and the main part of the system or you can say the base of the system is JUSTICE. when justice not available easily and not deliver then weapon game start. so main route case is not KP or other cities. the main cause is NOT DELIVERING THE JUSTICE. and very sorry to say MQM is the party who supported Musharaf and others when CJ was locked in his own residence and not even this we all should remember the history, we didnt forgot the incident at karachi court where lawyer burnt another lawyer in his chamber. very very very inhuman behavior happens in Karachi, where MQM declare 80% majority.................. Y......... This Big Y needs answer from every one pls pls think. by submitting the bill the responsibility is not over.......... we should caught the bad guys of 12 May and Karachi court and other incidents and bring them into courts and finish up the cases rapidly. If weapons comes from KP then, how MQM ppl get this weapons, and if somebody say that MQM didnt have any weapons so i think thats not true. so clean your home first, (Sweep your own doors). and make strengthen the Judiciary system. Because every system start from there and end there. Dont inter fare in judiciary system. This is the matter of law makers not politicians. MQM Mr. Farooq Sattar, pls tell how many bills presented in assembly from all party and what happened with them. MQM spend a longest government period (National and Provisional Assembly) in the history of pakistan what they do for karachi. NOTHING. They couldnt clean karachi when no PPP no ANP were there. so why they need clean karachi today. BIG Y BIG BIG Y Best regards Pakistan Zindabad

Sandy | 13 years ago | Reply Worldwide welcome move !!! Don't retreat Move on , you are in right direction Your own people and other political parties will resist Don't worry ! a common Pakistani want this job done and is with you He/she might not be able to support you publicly

ilfu | 13 years ago | Reply kudos for mqm and shame on pml(n) ,JUI,ANP who submitted motions to debate the violence......is debating the solution of karachi violence....... many ppl have misperception that mqm has weapons store.......if they have they won't bother to pass the bill to axe their own feet.....know stop back biting and support mqm in this move ;remember if this bill is supported by other parties too we will have significant change in the low and order of karachi where people from every part of the country come to earn for their family....... once again great job by mqm we are with you.

Jahnzeb | 13 years ago | Reply Wherever we start first, this is the best move and should have been done ages ago. Way to go MQM.

Shamsi Ajani | 13 years ago | Reply I 100% support this call to de-weponise Pakistan. One is sick and tired of seeing guards non-tax paying politicians and goons carrying guns as if they are candy. If MQM is in successful in de-weponising Pakistan....they will become the most liked party in eyes of peace loving Pakistanis'

Natasha S. | 13 years ago | Reply Time to ban 'the zevar' of many. Nice step by MQM but I must add that 'actions should speak louder than words'. MQM does not follow the Gandhian phiolosphy either.

A R Khan Yusufzai | 13 years ago | Reply It is said "Charity begins at home". MQM should start with Azizabad, Federal B Area (famously known as Nine Zero) Karachi. Leaders of the said party should know Action speak louder than words!

Yousaf | 13 years ago | Reply much need action.. extremely urgent, but it will not be done for sure.

Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply i hope political parties will show some UNITY to save Pakistan and fully de-weaponise Pakistan

Student | 13 years ago | Reply Although this is a good bill but i think if KHI ppl get there own ppl in the police/rangers for the security of KHI thn this force can curb this de-weponization by applying force.

Adeel Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply LOL!!! DRAMA! Just like the latest "we are resigning from government" shenanigans. They'll de-weaponise themselves? lol

maera | 13 years ago | Reply I think we should appreciate any good move by any political party instead of criticizing it for the heck of it, the bill is about de-weaponisie Pakistan and Karachi ,KP, Baluchistan Punjab are all part of it. Lets at least be supportive of the bill.

Bilal Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Good move, but first deweaponization must be initiated in KP, the motherplace of arms manufacturing and distribution, everyone knows it.

Noor | 13 years ago | Reply Rhetoric and toothless bills would not work.

Ammad Hafeez | 13 years ago | Reply I laud the stance of MQM regarding the de-weaponise the entire Pakistan. We all know that who are running the factories of weapons and who bring the weapons in Karachi.

Yasser | 13 years ago | Reply Excellent recommendations, Only party who is raising voice for Local Government elections, Land reforms and now call for de - weaponise Pakistan. Great recommendations by MQM.

Amir Butt | 13 years ago | Reply KM. There is the no weapon factors in Karachi, the weapons are coming from KP and other cities so if you want to deweaponized Karachi then first finished up the root cause of the issue and the root cause is laying in KP and other provials.

Anwar | 13 years ago | Reply De-weaponize the MQM first, then talk about Pakistan.

Rafay | 13 years ago | Reply If you think Karachi is alone in becoming a a violent place you're wrong lahores catching up and the country needs this bill I'm just surprised the party that put it forward is mqm. Kudos to them and good luck the bill should be passed

shahid | 13 years ago | Reply onece more good move from mqm.

KM | 13 years ago | Reply Mr. Sattar, if any one of your kid misbehaves, you do not punish all the others. So if Karachi is misbehaving, then this doesn't mean that the entire country is. Clean your home first and then talk about the rest. This is not in particular reference to your party alone, infact for all parties in Karachi.

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