This is an emergency

The son of the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court was kidnapped at 2:30pm on June 20, 2016. It took place in broad daylight at an upscale and busy shopping area of Clifton. It was witnessed by dozens of shoppers and bystanders. No one came forward to help or report the matter on any emergency number or to any law- enforcement agency. The Sindh police got to know of this incident at 9:10pm. Six hours and 40 minutes are long enough to relocate a person 300-400km away from the scene of the incident.

On August 13, 2018, Amal Umer, a 10-year-old school girl, lost her life when hit by a stray bullet from a police AK-47. Reluctant and inadequate hospital services, absence of even a rudimentary state-operated ambulance system and a plethora of unreliable emergency phone numbers did the rest. The absence of emergency services, untrained policemen and their disproportionate weaponry came under legitimate questioning. What was, however, conveniently underplayed was the presence of hundreds of armed bandits, who freely operate on every intersection, nook and corner of our streets.

An effective integrated emergency response system and elimination of all guns (except those that lie in the domain of the state), could have a sea change impact on saving lives and preventing crime and violence. It is a well-documented fact that gun violence is directly proportional to the prevalence of guns in a country, the worst example being the US. Countries such as Australia, Japan and the UK, through deweaponisation schemes, have almost completely eliminated gun violence in their countries.

It is unfortunate that in Pakistan, weapons and violence are a hobby and indulgence of its richest elite. Only between 2008 and 2013, the federal government issued 69,473 licences for prohibited bore weapons on the recommendation of parliamentarians. This was confirmed by a written statement presented by the interior minister in the National Assembly on February 28, 2013. Likewise on December 29, 2014, the provincial home minister informed the Punjab Assembly that 50% of 1.8 million arms licences issued in the province were fake and there was no record of 900,000 arms licences issued in Punjab. The Sindh home minister is on public record for having issued 300,000 prohibited bore gun licences to his friends and party supporters.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan in its suo-motu case 16 of 2011 had stated that, “Karachi is full of arms and ammunition of prohibited and non-prohibited bores, including licensed and illicit, therefore, Karachi has to be cleansed from all kinds of weapons by adhering to the laws available on the subject, and if need be, by promulgating new legislation.”

Providing security to all citizens is the first responsibility of the state. When the state shirks from this responsibility, it is taken over by self-appointed gangs, mafias, individuals and criminals. Pakistan today has hundreds of rural and urban private militias and armies — in gross violation of Article 256 of the Constitution.

There ought to be a citizens’ movement to push the reluctant federal and provincial governments to fulfil their constitutional duty to protect the lives of all citizens. This can only be done by declaring that no citizen regardless of his/her status is allowed to possess, carry or display any weapon, licensed or otherwise. Issuance of all gun licences ought to be stopped immediately and the existing licences be declared null and void. Simultaneously, the state must execute nation-wide schemes for surrender of unlicensed weapons and buy-back of licensed weapons, as successfully demonstrated by Australia and the UK.

Unlike the rest of the world, Karachi has numerous emergency phone numbers — 15 for Police, 1101 for Rangers, 1102 for CPLC, 1915 for Rahnuma, 16 for fire, 115 for Edhi, 1020 for Chhipa ambulance and 1021 for Aman Foundation. A classic case of designing confusion and failure in a system.

Most countries of the world have a single phone number for all types of emergencies. The US and Canada use the same number 911 for crime, fire and ambulance services. Is it too much for the citizens of Pakistan to demand a single emergency phone number all across Pakistan that caters to all types of emergencies — medical, criminal or fire.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2018.

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