Up in arms: Federal govt issued 50,000 arms licences illegally, SHC informed

The bench issued notices to the interior secretary and DG Nadra for July 16.

KARACHI: In the last five years the federal government has issued more than 50,000 licences to people giving them the right to own and keep weapons. On Monday, the Sindh High Court (SHC) was informed that these weapons include Kalashnikovs and automatic machine guns.

According to a group of arms dealers who spoke in the court, such a large number of licences create problems as the licences have no controlling procedures as per the Arms Ordinance of 1965.

This group of men is currently engaged in a legal battle at the SHC with the interior ministry over its controversial scheme to replace the previous booklet of arms licences with a computerised card in an attempt to streamline the weapons and their holders’ database.

The petitioners submitted that the a SHC bench, comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Nadeem Akhtar, had on July 25, 2012 nullified an interior ministry’s notification dated August 8, 2011. The court had cancelled all computerised arms licences issued since August 8, 2011 as the same were issued in violation of the provisions of the Arms Ordinance 1965 and Arms Rules 1924.

Advocate SM Yahya, the lawyer representing the arms dealers, submitted that later, a contempt application was moved against the interior ministry and the DG of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) for continuing to issue computerised licences in violation of the court ruling.

Later, while deciding the contempt plea, another SHC bench had nullified the interior ministry’s policy of computerised arms licences as well.

Yahya submitted that the federal government had made substantial changes in the procedures for granting arms licences to citizens of Pakistan. He added that the computerised plastic cards which were introduced by the interior ministry were in violation of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance 1965 as well as the Arms Rules of 1924.

The petitioners alleged that the officers continued to issue the arms licence to the consumers for deadly weapons such as Kalashnikovs.

He submitted that the ministry of interior has defied the court’s order, which would have harmful effect on the law and order situation as well as the life and property of the citizens.

The lawyer pleaded to the court to finally decide two petitions, which are still pending adjudication with the court.

The bench which was headed by Justice Faisal Arab and issued notices to the interior secretary and DG Nadra for July 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2014.