Ban on commercial import of prohibited weapons lifted

Published January 21, 2015
.— Hussain Afzal/File
.— Hussain Afzal/File

ISLAMABAD: After a delay of 15 months, the government has lifted a ban on commercial import of prohibited weapons and changed the entire import regime of arms with an aim of eliminating under-invoicing and improving documentation.

To be implemented in two phases, the new policy will allow commercial import of all kinds of weapons on the basis of quantity-based authorisation (QBA) by replacing the existing value-based authorisation which was more prone to under-invoicing.

Also read: Peshawar schools start getting arms licences

The Commercial Import of Prohibited and Non-Prohibited Weapons and Ammunition Regulation Order, 2014 was notified through a statutory regulatory order (SRO) issued by the ministry of commerce.

In 1997, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had imposed a ban on import of prohibited weapons, including the world’s most popular assault rifle, the AK-47. As a result, these weapons were purchased only from tribal elders belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The import will only be allowed to registered dealers of prohibited arms. There are only four or five such dealers in the country.

Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan told Dawn that the new policy would help in many ways in regulating the arms import regime. This would not only help in reducing under-invoicing but also contribute in generating revenue for the government.

On the regulation side, the minister said, the government would have a clear picture of the arms imports. This, he said, would discourage the irregular imports. The minister said the new policy was closer to reality.

At the same time, he said the policy was not evolved in a way to encourage arms import but rather to regulate it. He said the role of the provinces in this regard had been enhanced.

Under the new law, anybody can apply for a licence. However, it has to be supported by a string of documents. The applications will be made through the provincial home departments and in the case of Islamabad and Fata through the interior ministry.

The provincial home departments and interior ministry in their no-objection certificates will propose quantitative limits for import of arms and ammunition vis-a-vis the dealership licence.

In a cabinet meeting held on March 7, 2013 the outgoing PPP-led government approved amendments to the policy. It changed the provision for value-based imports to quantity based and fixed a monetary ceiling, ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs20 million, on commercial arms importers.

There are more than 640 arms dealers in the country who are registered with the commerce ministry for imports. Of these, 60 per cent (384) are small dealers who have a ceiling of Rs100,000.

Under the new policy, in the first phase, the monetary quota of the existing dealers will be converted into quantity or no of weapons. However, all existing dealers will have to apply for conversion with supporting documents.

The licence of the existing dealers who did not import any weapons in the past three years will not be converted. However, such a dealer will have to apply afresh for licence.

An arms expert told Dawn that that the new policy would filter small traders from the business. He said the quantity-based authorisation would make the scheme unattractive for small players.

For example, an average $100 value of a Chinese make pistol will entitle a small dealer to import only 10 pistols. This number will reduce in case of European models whose prices range between $500 and $800, which means entitlement for one weapon under the new scheme.

All imports of arms and ammunition shall be allowed only against letters of credit to be opened by the bank branches. The commerce ministry will also issue category passbooks to the dealers.

An LC should mention provision of original equipment manufacturer certificate and pre-shipment inspection and the bank will ensure that the importer would not exceed his quantitative ceiling.

Currently, the dealers land their consignments at different ports so that the customs authorities clear their huge consignments in excess to their monetary quotas.

To overcome this, the import through QBA will be cleared only by the collectorate of customs in whose jurisdiction registered business office of the importer is located.

Moreover, all QBAs will be entered into an automated customs system to ensure foolproof computerised debiting and crediting of authorised quantities. The weapons are declared as prohibited or non-prohibited by the government under the Pakistan Arms Ordinance 1965.

According to the law, the contract for import of weapons under the value-based authorisation prior to June 2009 will stand cancelled on Dec 31, 2014. Contracts made prior to June 2011 but after May 31, 2009 will stand cancelled on March 31 this year. Other contracts will be cancelled on June 30.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2015

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