FAISALABAD: A large number of arms licences, including those of prohibited bores, have been issued to people in back dates by the arms licencing branch (ALB) of the DCO office.

Among beneficiaries are also the people who do not belong to Faisalabad that is also unlawful. Pictures of the licence holders are also missing in the official record.

District Coordination Officer Noorul Amen Mengal has suspended seven employees and ordered a departmental probe after receiving findings of a three-member committee. The panel comprised DOC Saba Adil, AC (city) Shah Rukh Niazi and district officer (civil defence).

DCO suspends seven officials

Abdul Rehman of weapons market, Kutchery Bazaar, in an application filed with the DCO alleged that the ALB officials were issuing licences to people in back dates after receiving bribe. “The officials are doing this in connivance with the arms dealers despite imposition of a ban by the government on issuance of licences.”

Following contents of the application, the DCO asked the city AC to probe the matter.

The AC said during checking of arms licences of Kotwali police register, it was detected that licence no 112 and 113 were entered in the register on May 18, 2009, licence no 114 to 200 and 201 to 334 had been registered on May 25 and 26, 2009.

He said signatures of the competent authority were prima facie bogus.

He said four licences (120, 163, 185 and 285) had been issued to non-residents of Faisalabad. Under the rules, arms licence could be issued to resident of the same district, the AC said.

The record had no pictures of the licence holders including 116, 138 to 142, 149, 152, 155, 159, 165, 191, 198, 200, 212, 219, 221, 223, 224, 227, 249, 253, 281 to 284, 286 to 299, 301 to 303, 307, 308, 315, 316, 326, 331 and 332.

The official said 220 licences were issued within two days -- May 25 and 26, 2009 -- and the relatively large number made the process suspicious.

The three-member committee also endorsed the AC’s report to grill the employees identified as Peter Joseph, Saifur Rehman, Afzal, Tanvir Husain, Maqsood Ahmed Zahid, Syed Mohammad Masood and Rana Babar Husain who had served in the arms licencing branch.

All suspects have denied their involvement in issuance of licences.

The committee said signatures on the register seemed fake as compared to the original signatures of the dealing officers who remained posted to the branch during 2009-14.

It said original signatures of the dealing officers had also been found which showed that bogus/fake entries were made during anytime between 2009 and 2015.

Giving its opinion, the committee endorsed the findings of the city AC and said registers of arms licence were sensitive official record required to be kept under lock and key.

As per standard operating procedure, only the ALB officials were authorised to make entries in the registers, the committee said, adding that the arms licencing clerk was required to make entries in his own handwriting and personally get the same signed from the dealing officer.

“It is beyond any shadow of doubt that a large number of fake signatures have been affixed by the dealing officials in the most sensitive record,” the committee said.

The committee recommended to refer the case to the Anti-Corruption Establishment for detailed investigation after initiation of criminal proceedings/registration of FIRs against the suspects.

The DCO told Dawn that seven suspects had been suspended from their services.

He said EDO (Finance) Abdul Ghafoor had been appointed as inquiry officer to proceed against the suspects under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act 2006.

Mr Ghafoor would submit a report within a fortnight, he said.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2015

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