Arms repair licences scandal hits Punjab

Home secretary orders inquiry, record verification

LAHORE:

It has been revealed that hundreds of bogus arms repair licences have been issued in Punjab.

Earlier, the issue of nine fake arms dealers' licences in Lahore had come to the fore. A volunteer of the Civil Defence Department posted in the home department and some officials of the Lahore Arms Branch had been found involved in issuing the fake permits.

According to sources, the issuance of arms repair licences has been banned in Punjab since 1988 but hundreds of bogus permits have been issued with the connivance of corrupt officials of the District Arms Branches and the home department.

More than 70 bogus arms repair licences have been issued in Lahore, while the deputy commissioner of Faisalabad has refused to recognise such permits.

Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal has directed the additional secretary judicial to immediately cancel all fake arms repair licences, while the home department has sent a letter to the anti-corruption department for further investigation into the matter.

As per the letter, one Muazzam Ijaz was a volunteer of the civil defence department who was also serving in the judicial wing of the home department till April 30. Recently, he applied for the revalidation of an arms repair licence issued in his name in the NADRA system. When the licence was verified by the Lahore Arms Branch, it was proved to be fake. He had acquired a fake licence during his posting in the wing.

It was stated that the inquiry into nine bogus arms dealers' licences in Lahore was also going on in the home department and there was a possibility of the involvement of the officials in that case too.

The official communique also urged that the anti-corruption department to file a case against Muazzam.

The home secretary has instructed the additional secretary that all fake licences should be cancelled after verification of the record and action should be taken against those involved as per the law. The sources said the home secretary had also issued directives to complete the process of checking the licences through the National Database and Registration Authority as soon as possible.