EDITORIAL: Possession of firearms in this country has long been prized as a status symbol. More lethal the weapons, the better.
Access is made easier by a dubious licensing policy, as a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa found during the hearing last January of a post-arrest bail petition, in a case of robbery at the complainant’s house. As per the FIR registered with a Mardan police station, the robbers took away three submachine guns — 7.62 bore weapons —- and a 9mm pistol together with gold ornaments and mobile phones.
Asked if the stolen firearms were licensed, the complainant produced a photo copy of permission granted by a deputy inspector general of police in June 2014 and valid for a three-month period.
Concerned about the easy availability of prohibited bore weapons and licences for them the court directed the interior secretary to submit a concise statement under his signatures, providing answers to a set of seven questions, including the number of licences and permits issued for SMGs and other prohibited bore weapons, and approximate number of these arms in private use.
On resumption of the case hearing last Friday, the interior ministry informed the court that as many as 117,479 licences for SMGs and other prohibited bore firearms have been issued across the country, and that out these a staggering 114,964 were handed out to private individuals “for the purpose of protection or sports.”
The ministry though failed to provide the answer to the query about documents/permits that allow possession and carrying of such weapons. The obvious reason is the absence of duly legislated gun control measures to restrict possession or use of firearms.
The bench was informed that the police and other law enforcement officers had no way of verifying if a person was in legal possession of a licensed weapon. If that is perturbing, gun-toting men often seen escorting influential individuals on pickup trucks seem to have no training nor guidelines as to when or how to use their arms. It is hard to forget how a while ago a young biker was shot dead just for riding too close to a car carrying the son of a former prime minister.
Causing a general sense of fear and intimidation to law abiding citizens is an entrenched culture of entitlements, which gives exemptions to politically influential or moneyed individuals. As the court aptly put it, this engenders an environment of might is right – the antithesis of the rule of law.
During the January proceedings the court had also raised these pertinent questions: whether exempting certain categories of persons or granting them the right to obtain licences for SMGs and other prohibited bore weapons is in accord with Article 25 of the Constitution mandating that all citizens are equal before law, as well as Article 9, which guarantees right to life as a fundamental right. Interpreting the Constitution being its sole prerogative, the apex court is expected to address these questions in its final verdict.
For now, the interior ministry has been asked to explain in its fresh report about the necessity to permit prohibited bore weapons, and also if the federal government has any policy regarding firearms. Furthermore, the provinces have been ordered to file their respective replies, and state that they do not issue any licence for or permit non-prohibited bore weapons. This should impel them to make necessary amends.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024