There has been no significant development in the government’s efforts to revalidate arm licences by December 31st, the National Assembly was told on Thursday during the question hour.
The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) only received 66,828 applications despite a five month lapse.
The government had directed NADRA to develop a software to issue the computerised licences to make the process transparent. The goal was for citizens to obtain computerized arm licences in August this year.
Thus far NADRA has received around 1,586 applications from 16 districts of Balochistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said in his written reply to the National Assembly.
Maximum applications for revalidation process came from Punjab and Sindh. Malik had assigned the task of revalidating all the licences by Dec 31. This is also a deadline for citizens to register their licences.
“According to rough estimates around 3 million Pakistanis have arm licences.” said a retired Secretary of the Interior Ministry, who asked not to be named. But officials dealing with arms licences claim that they don’t know the total number issued since Pakistan’s inception.
The government informed the Supreme Court that the Sindh government from 2001 to 2011 has handed out around 0.5 million arms licences to citizens.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Malik Shakeel Awan sought details of arm licences which are being verified by NADRA.
The government has spent Rs53 million on renovations of NADRA’s headquarters during the last five years, Rehman Malik told the National Assembly.
Around Rs2 million were spent on renovation of the NADRA chairman’s office in Islamabad, while an amount of Rs1.62 million was spent in 2011, he added.
Expenditures of some Rs51 million were for repair and maintenance of NADRA headquarters from 2006 to 2011, while Rs14.2 million was spent during the current fiscal year.
In reply to a lawmaker’s question, Malik said NADRA issued 89.145 million Computerised National Identity Cards till December 14, 2011.
“Around 94.89 per cent registration has been completed in the country. Orphan children will also be registered under the new policy,”he added.
Termination of corrupt officials
MNA Shakeela Khanam questioned how many FIA officials were terminated from service from 2007 to 2011. The government dismissed 40 officials working in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on charges of corruption and misconduct during the last five years. Secretary Interior, Director General FIA and courts dismissed these officials after they were found guilty.
Replying to another question, posed by PML-N MNA Nuzhat Sadiq, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the police force is being ramped up to control crime and improve the law and order situation in the country.
Slaughter houses
Malik also said an international standard slaughter house will be built in Islamabad. He said illegal slaughter houses in Islamabad have been closed. He was responding to concerns by many regarding illegal slaughter-houses creating environmental hazards.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2011.
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