Illegal weapons: Court upset as NADRA continues to issue licences

SHC calls for comments from interior ministry, NADRA.

KARACHI: In July, the Sindh High Court had declared the weapons licences issued by the interior ministry through Nadra illegal and invalid. But the process is reportedly still going on despite court orders.

Armed with evidence in the form of two recently issued licences by Nadra, the petitioners have gone to the court again. Muhammad Ayub along with 36 others had challenged the interior ministry’s scheme to issue computerised weapon licences through National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to replace the old booklet licences. The high court declared the interior ministry’s policy “without lawful authority and in violation of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance and Pakistan Arms Rules”.

While allowing the petition challenging the new licence system, the court further held that the Nadra had no authority to issue arms licences and those already issued were invalid.



On Wednesday, the petitioners informed the court that the authority was still issuing new licences. Their lawyer, Syed Yahya, produced statements containing particulars of two arms licences that were allegedly issued despite court orders. When SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam asked Nadra’s legal officer, Zulfiqar Solangi, to explain what was happening, he requested the judges to give him two weeks to seek instructions from the authorities. The bench directed the interior ministry and Nadra to file comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2012.