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Ban on weapons hits Balochistan arms dealers hard

QUETTA: A fortnight after a countrywide ban on display and new licences for weapons in Pakistan went into effect, arms dealers in the southern province of Balochistan have said the ban has badly affected their businesses.

Several hundred people are associated with the legal business of selling weapons in the province. The dealers are demanding of the government to lift the ban on new licences and weapons used for hunting.

The demand comes barely two weeks after the ban on display and carrying of weapons in public and issuance of new licences came into effect, the BBC said Tuesday.

Arms dealers in Balochistan say their businesses have nose-dived after the ban and if the trend continued for a few more weeks they would be rendered jobless. They claim that this would affect thousands of people and their families.

They say that during the time of democratic governments, 40 to 50 new arms licences were issued daily in Balochistan capital Quetta alone while in other areas it usually peaked at 200.

They warned that ban on carrying of licenced weapons was tantamount to giving criminals a free hand against citizens.

Balochistan is one such province where enforcement of the ban was being considered a difficult task for the government, but now even the arms dealers have raised their voice against the ban.

The arms dealers have demanded of the government to at least lift the ban on licenced weapons and those used for hunting.

Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, however, is unruffled and says implementation of illegal arms recovery drive will continue whatever the costs.

"Everyone will have to surrender illegal arms and ammunition for the sake of peace in the country," he said.

"We are committed to establishing an arms free society and hopefully the policies being pursued by the military government will yield favourable results."-Internews