SC hearing: Weapons on quota basis questioned

Licences for prohibited-bore guns are issued to MNAs and MPAs.

KARACHI: The government policy to issue weapon licences for prohibited-bore guns on quota basis also came under the microscope of the Supreme Court judges on Tuesday.

The apex court observed that between 100 and 200 weapon licences were issued to each member of the National Assembly and Sindh Assembly from the province but nothing had been done practically to control this by implementing the court order to verify the licences through Nadra.

“On the record, there is one minister but off the record there is a different minister,” observed Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

A senior police officer, Manzoor Mughal, informed the judges that 8,850 unlicensed weapons were seized and the suspects were also arrested, but the judicial magistrates released them without a trial.

Brushing aside the impression, Justice Amir Hani Muslim said that possessing illegal weapons was a bailable offence and the courts have to decide the case according to the laws.

He also questioned why police had not recommended changes in the existing laws to cater to the changing needs. “Before Partition, poor farmers suffered a lot due to frequent theft of their livestock. The then government realising the changing needs made the offence a non-bailable one to help the farmers,” one of the judges said during the hearing.

Justice Jamali said the bench was not giving “judicial” protection to anyone but wanted such a system for equal accountability. “A British man resigned from his post recently after allegations of misbehaving with the policemen.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2012.