Despite claim to have proper records of 1.2 million arms license holders, the Sindh government has been able to verify not more than 100,000 arms licenses after the lapse of more than a year, it was learnt on Wednesday. According to well-informed sources in National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), the Sindh government during a hearing on Karachi violence case claimed to have 1.2 million registered arms license holders in the province.
However, Nadra has so far received only 0.45 million applications for computerised arms license. The sources further said that the process of issuance of computerised arms license was completed in three phases. In the first phase, applicants have to submit Nadra application forms for computerised arms license along with fee-token at the authority's camp offices established at deputy commissioner offices and home department. In the second stage, the applications are forwarded to the concerned deputy commissioner offices for police verification. The concerned police stations return applications back to Nadra through deputy commissioner offices after verification. In the final phase, Nadra after processing verified applications advance it to home department for approval.
Replying to a question, the sources said that applications for computerised arms license were presently stuck in the first phase where Nadra had forwarded 0.45 million application forms to the concerned deputy commissioner offices for police verification.
They said that Nadra had so far received only 100,000 verified applications while the rest were still in the first phase. Moreover, they said that it was premature to comment on it.
The sources added that the possibility of using illegal means for getting arms license could not be ruled out. On the other hand, the applicants while talking to Business Recorder complained that they were being harassed by the police during verification. "Time will tell, whether the computerised arms licenses would help improve the law and order situation in the province especially in Karachi but presently, the process to switch from manual license to a computerised one is putting extra financial burden on the pockets of the applicants," they said.
They said that the applicants, who had paid Rs 1,000 as fee for computerised arms license and Rs 100 as service charges for the issuance of fee-token, were also forced by the concerned police stations to pay Rs 2,500 for verification, a self-imposed mandatory fee by the police department to make bucks. Moreover, they said that arms dealers were also offering their services against Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 to all and sundry.
They said that persons, who approached the arms dealers for the purpose, easily obtained computerised arms licenses within just 12 working days without visiting any concerned department - police station, deputy commissioner office or home department. When contacted, officials at the deputy commissioner office (Central) were unable to give satisfactory answer. They said that the process of issuing computerised arms license was under way smoothly.