May 22, 2005

The gun-makers in the north of Pakistan are feeling the crunch in a scared world

Innovative, artistic and dedicated. These and many other adjectives seem insufficient to describe the high profile gun makers of Darra Adam Khel. Most of them are illiterate still, they have honed their skills to the extent that their ware can easily be compared with the latest technology used in the first world. However, despite their talents, they are now facing troubled times due to the ban on granting new arms licences and thus the lack of demand for their products.

The land on which these people live is not fertile, therefore cultivation is not possible and gunmaking is their only source of income. But the local arms industry has been brought to the verge of extinction due to a law that reminds the locals of a time when they had to work under the British rulers. As one gunmaker, Gul Zaman, said, “The ban on issuing licenses and permits to gun manufacturers in Darra Adam Khel is five years long which has subjected the people of the area to worst conditions.” Gul Zaman has been facing tough times in trying to bring home a decent living and supporting his family. So, wanting to have his children educated is out of the question.

The ban was imposed after the dismissal of the Nawaz Sharif government, in 1999. There was a time when over a skilled workforce of 300,000 was associated with the industry in the area. According to Mewa Khan, an arms dealer these were people from all across the country. “But after the first militia operation against heavy arms in 1992, the number of talented artisans (karegars) fell. Most of the Punjabi speaking karegars went back to their homes as the business got serious blow. But after 1999, the arms business has altogether been sidelined.”

Mewa Khan said that those skilled workers, who belonged to other parts of the country and had come here to work, many of them had come with their families. This had greatly benefited the local economy in the form of flat rentals and other services. However, now following the ban, these activities have greatly reduced and the total number of skilled workforce in the area now numbers at only 30,000.

The ban on licenses and permits was aimed at discouraging people from buying arms. However, Mewa Khan opines that it might result in the smuggling culture as people need guns just for self defence, and now it is banned. “For sure, they will find a way to get it illegally,” he says confidently.

To a question, Sajjid, who runs a machine for making parts of guns, said that one could not carry out any act of terrorism with small arms and anyone with such intentions would need no license for any illegal activity. It’s the misconception or misunderstanding due to which the recent ban exists. “People could not purchase guns for self defence legally and police did not have that much access to far away territories to sustain peace there. If the people need a gun for self protection then they would automatically go for smuggling,” he remarked.

The prices of guns has really hit south in Darra Adam Khel’s arms dealing because of two reasons. First, there’s the ban which has led to a decrease in production as well. Then, on the other side, prices of iron have also increased manifold. This is forcing others, who remain in the business to seriously think of following some other profession. And since the government doesn’t seem too eager to help, the gun industry of the area might be doomed altogether.

Last year, the government had pledged to establish an industrial zone in Darra Adam Khel, but it has yet to materilaize.

Samad Khan, a local resident of Dara Adam Khel recently left his job at the Wah Ordnance factory because of the low pay. He was being paid Rs3000 which was not enough for him to manage his family. He says he knows of a number of workers who have left their Wah job and come to Dara Adam Khel to make a better living. And since these people are illiterate, many of them look forward to educating their children.

Though these gunmakers are illiterate, their hardwork has been appreciated all over the world. The government should patronize these talented people instead of making shallow promises like wanting to setup an industrial zone for them. Still, MNA Dr Nasim is optimistic that he would be able to get hold of the funds for the industrial zone in the forthcoming fund. The productive people of the area is agreed that they would make guns of high quality if government should make a deal with them and provide them with facilities and good packages.

Unfortunately, due to the misconception between legal and illegal, the work of the people of the work has often been viewed with an eye of suspicion. But the loyalty of the people of the area can be judged by the fact that they were on many occasion termed by General Zia as his free-trained army.

Other than gun making, the people of the area know of no other trade, industrial or agricultural. And now their means of earning is being victimized.

Ask the people in the area and they don’t believe that their arms are being used for terrorist activities. They argue that the arms produced in Darra Adam Khel are for the common people who use it for their protection and defence. “The terrorists need no license or permits and they usually use the prohibited bores, which were not sold to them as it was not allowed in law,” says Sadique Afridi, another arms dealer.

“It’s an economic principle whenever something is banned, its price raises and people try to produce it in large number,” he continued. “When you snatch a job from professional persons, they might be diverted to such an extreme that they could damage the society,” he concluded.

The ban on small arms in Dara Khel has not only rendered a large number of skilled people jobless but also led to the death of a refined local culture.

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