Let us hope that a news item carried recently by a newspaper that the KPK government is toying with the idea of issuing arms licences for the prohibited bore weapons isn’t correct. There is no gainsaying the fact that one of the main reasons of increase in the incidence of terrorism and sectarianism in the country is the presence of prohibited weaponry galore. Why shouldn’t we take a leaf out of the book of New Zealand which recently banned arms licences of prohibited bore weapons?
Granted that in our society due to old blood feuds some people do keep weapons for their protection. The district magistrates may issue them arms licences after due verification of their credentials but for keeping only non-prohibited bore weapons. They should never be in possession of automatic prohibited bore weapons which is the preserve of the armed forces, para military forces and the police only.
It is a pity that in the past so many times did the various governments start operation clean-up for cleansing the society of heavy weaponry which were , however, left midway owing to the political interference.
The need of the hour is that the government should, in the first instance, carry out necessary legislation in the matter after which it should give a reasonable time to the owners of prohibitive bore weapons to deposit their weapons in the nearest police station under receipt. The government should get the market value of the voluntarily surrendered weaponry determined which should be paid to its owners. Side by side, those in possession of the heavy weaponry be warned that if any body failed to comply with this order he would be jailed for 10 years and fined Rs 5 lakh.
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