LAHORE, Oct 14: A deweaponization campaign launched this year in June seems to have made little impact on the crime situation in the Punjab.

The campaign launched with an aim to check terrorist activities proved a failure as 19 sect-related incidents were reported this year against six reported last year. Forty three people were killed and another 24 injured in these 19 incidents.

Cases of terrorism involving bomb blasts also registered a 50 per cent decrease. Twelve incidents of bomb blasts involving killing of 21 people were reported this year against 24 cases with 54 killings registered last year.

Police claim the arrest of many criminals, proclaimed offenders and recovered 3,225 firearms from them till June 1. From June 1 to June 20, the Punjab government announced an amnesty for people for voluntary surrender of illicit weapons.

During the amnesty period, the Punjab police claim that over 40,855 illegal arms were surrendered. Since June 20, 2001, a crackdown on illicit weapons has been in process. The police claim recovery of some 14,000 firearms since then.

During the crackdown, some 12,407 cases have so far been registered for keeping illicit weapons. Of them, 1,629 are under investigation and 10,687 have been sent to different courts concerned. In the cases sent to the courts, 144 people have been sentenced for more than three years, 154 for less than three years, 66 accused have been fined and another 106 people have been acquitted. Some 10,308 of the cases are pending with the courts.

In addition to terrorism, use of illicit weapons in other crimes is continued unabated. Sources in the police department say that murder rate and other crime against person are said to have registered an increase of over four per cent after the campaign was launched.

To disarm people having old enmities is another important aspect of the campaign which has so far yielded no result as killings with this motive are continued all over the province.

The sources, however, say crime against property has decreased by some seven per cent since the campaign was launched. Busting of several gangs of robbers especially from Lahore has played a vital role in bringing down the crime against property, the sources believed. In support of their claim, they say that no prominent criminal or a proclaimed offender has so far been arrested during the campaign.

On the other hand, highway robberies have become a routine. Armed house robberies, carjacking and motorcycle-lifting incidents are on the rise. Sophisticated firearms used in the crime against property are enough evidence to expose the deweaponization campaign.

The sources believed that the police had so far concentrated on disarming the common man. They claimed that government quarters concerned had asked the police to improve its progress in connection with the deweaponization campaign.

Seeking anonymity, a senior police officer posted at the Punjab police crimes branch said that the main objective of the campaign was to go after the militant groups involved in anti-state activities. Two such groups were also banned, he said and believed that rapid changes on national and international scenario had temporarily caused a pause in this regard.