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Karachi residents demand de-weaponisation
Illicit weapons behind most of year’s 1,106 killings
By Zia Ur Rehman
2010-08-25
KARACHI – As civil society in Karachi is urging the government to de-weaponise the city, the government is devising a strategy for making the whole country gun-free, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has hinted.
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![Students from Karachi schools demonstrate for de-weaponisation of the city with the catchphrase of replacing arms with pens. An NGO, the National Social Forum, organised the demonstration. [Zia Ur Rehman]](/shared/images/2010/08/25/PakDisarm-218_172.jpg)
Students from Karachi schools demonstrate for de-weaponisation of the city with the catchphrase of replacing arms with pens. An NGO, the National Social Forum, organised the demonstration. [Zia Ur Rehman]
![Students from Karachi schools demonstrate for de-weaponisation of the city with the catchphrase of replacing arms with pens. An NGO, the National Social Forum, organised the demonstration. [Zia Ur Rehman]](/shared/images/2010/08/25/PakDisarm.jpg)
During the first three weeks of August, about 175 people were slain in Karachi, according to the data obtained from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). The data show that 1,106 murders were committed in the first seven months of this year, most of them with illicit weapons.
The August 19 targeted killing of Ubaidullah Yusufzai, a provincial leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) unleashed an outbreak of violence in Karachi, leading to 15 deaths. About 100 deaths occurred in the riots after the August 2 assassination of Syed Raza Haider, a Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker.
“Some of the slain were activists of political parties, but most of them were apolitical,” Taranum Khan, an HRCP Karachi officer, told Central Asia Online.
Karachi murder rate up
Social organisations are concerned about the increase in gun violence and targeted killings, he said.
“Last year, 844 people were killed, 184 of them victims of targeted killings,” Khan said, adding that the rate of slayings has almost doubled this year.
“Doctors, police officers and religious scholars are also on the list of assassination victims.”
“HRCP is regularly compiling and releasing data about the killings in Karachi so that the government and civil society can realise the severity of the menace,” Khan said.
Karachi’s civil society organisations are demanding the government de-weaponise the city.
Pakistan has one of the highest per-capita figures of gun ownership in the world, a report by the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), a worldwide network against gun violence, shows.
Though official figures are not available, estimates put the number of small arms, licensed and unlicensed, in the country at more than 20m, the report added. Pakistan’s population is about 170m.
Pakistanis own more guns than military
IANSA’s report also said that civilians are the largest category of gun owners in Pakistan, holding more weapons than the military, police and the militants.
“An increase in the (number) of incidents of violence and crimes in Karachi has doubled the sale of arms because there is a belief that possessing a gun makes one safe,” Syed Afzal, an arms dealer at the Lucky Star arms market, told Central Asia Online. An arms dealer used to sell an average of one weapon daily; today, the average is 15.
The country’s arm dealers suffered when then-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s government banned possession of arms in 1992, said Afzal. That ban ended in 1999 when Gen. Pervez Musharraf came to power.
Some residents of Karachi keep around 50 weapons on a single license and the government is devising a strategy to stop such abuse, Malik said. Talking to reporters , Malik said the government has decided that gun license owners will have to bring them to local police stations.
Those who fail to have their arms licenses inspected within two months of the instructions will face action from the government, he vowed.
The Pakistan People’s Party, ANP and MQM, Sindh government coalition partners that openly accuse each other of killings, are also demanding the disarmament of the city.
De-weaponization for country considered
The government is not only trying to disarm the city but is devising a strategy for the whole country after consultations with all political parties, Malik said.
Anti-weapon campaigners say strict criteria for the issuance of arms licenses should be enforced without exception, not just on the recommendation of parliamentarians, said Iqbal Jamil, head of the National Social Forum (NSF).
The government has proposed extending the punishment for violating weapons laws from three years to ten years, said an officer at the Home Department who requested anonymity.
“It was also decided in a meeting of governmental high-ups that peace committees – consisting of elected representatives, social activists and police officials -- should be re-activated. They were established earlier at local Union Council levels but had been unable to work properly ever since they were formed,” the officer said.
The government has also established “a special cell” to curb the targeted killings in the city in collaboration with Inter-Services Intelligence and the Intelligence Bureau, two of Pakistan’s covert agencies, the official said.
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MQM MNA\"s and MPA\'s are on blame and cry and blame policy every time because they do not want to deliver any facility to the people of our constutency from where they get votes, I asked them for an arms licence but they are not able to grant an arms licence, Every time they have many reasons to reject the request, I think they create all reasons ourself for NOT TO DO ANYTHING, But They have a big part in government from last 12 years There are some unsolved questions in mind Are all governments make them fool and use them or they are making people fool and use them ?
The city of Karachi is a safe heaven for all kind criminals from all over Pakistan. The abductors, the murderers, dacoits all commit crimes in their province and then run for safety to Karachi. This is why the crime rate in Karachi is high because no governmental authority checks the incoming criminals from other provinces. As for political killings in Karachi this is because peoples from other provinces among them mostly gangesters, murderers, looters land grabers used to display their arms in public meetings i.e. at Nishtar park and used to say this is our jewellery. But when the people of Karachi took weapons now those who used to say this is our \"zaiver\" are now crying to deweaponize Karachi. Its clear that local Karachi people are educated and law abiding citizens but when they are faced with criminals holding weapons all legal or illegal or with fake licences from other provinces they have no option but to take up arms to defend themselves because government takes no measures against criminals coming to Karachi and threatening local population. Its time that Government takes the problem seriously to curb weapon yielding criminals coming to Karachi and looting and abducting people in this beautiful city. If government does not take any action and keeps sitting like a duck local people have no choice other than to defend themselves. Mustafa
Re: UNHCR DECLARES MQM AS TERRORIST Why Urdu speaking citizens of Karachi call themselves as \'muhajirs\' when 90% of them are born in Pakistan. It is absurd that after 61 years of independence of Pakistan, these Urdu speaking people who still prefer to call themselves as immigrants (muhajirs) and do not like Punjabis, Balochis, Sindhis, Pushtoons but themselves. But when they go abroad to UK, America and Canada etc; they do not call themselves \'muhajirs\' but want to be called Americans, British and Canadians. This is sheer hypocrisy and perfidy because they do not want to live in harmony with others in Pakistan. Urdu is the mother tongue of every Pakistan and not any more the monopoly of these so called \'muhajirs\'. MQM is trying to create tension amongst the Pakistanis and harm the country of their birth. Why should they call themselves, \"Muhajirs\"?
there is need of changes in legislation because a culprit of possessing illegal weapon got easily bail from the courts.
hi am though am urdu speaking but i still stand by what the entire nation had said about the 12th may action (on visit of chief justice visit here)had there been a judicial enquiry conducted and the responsible if the incident were given CAPITAL PUNISHMENT given to responsible wud have stopped target killing in karachi once for all all the common people in karachi streets knows who is responsible unfortunatelt when we see them on all the electronic media sitting and talking about land/drug mafia we just change that channel unfortunately thats what a common man can do we all in karachi know who is the land/weapon mafia and refuse to accept that the MEDIA specially electronic media does not know and we all feel that majority of the media specially URDU (print/electronic) is unfortunately can be safely called as FIFTH COLUMNIST
As mentioned earlier that deweaponised the city of Karachi. How it can possible? Because most of the illegal weapons are with political parties who are in power rite now. Who will take action? I think no any political party will take any action against anyone because every party has illegal weapons. Political parties take donations from shops and houses for the use on human being. But I tel u one thing is that they purchase weapons from that donation money for their own safety not for public safety. How this country can run well if this kind of situation happened? I humbly request to all political parties that if we are Muslim so we show ourselves Muslim not others .............. Because one day everybody has to go in grave. If we will be clean here in this world we will be safe but if not what will happened there everybody knows. So please be humble, polite, sincere, trustable and helpful. I pray to God for good Pakistan and for all political parties to be sincere with the country and with those who r living in the country. God Bless on Pakistan and Pakistanis. Take care all A Citizen of Pakistan