PESHAWAR, Aug 9: Arms manufacturers of Darra Adamkhel have asked the government to relax rules and regulations in order to help them export their products to European and American markets.

Talking to Dawn, arms manufacturers of Darra  Adamkhel said that they had great opportunities to export sporting and vintage guns to Europe and America if Islamabad relaxed its rules and procedures which were hampering export of their products.

They said that the government should help them improve the quality of their products and arrange bank loans to enable them to increase their production to meet the ever-increasing requirements of international market.

“Against an order for exporting 75,000 guns, pistols and other locally manufactured items, I could hardly manage to manufacture 180 guns which would shortly be exported to the US,”  said Mohammed Shoaib, owner of the Darra Adamkhel-based Shaheen Arms Company, involved in manufacturing, export and import of arms and ammunition.

Mr Shoaib has recently exported daggers worth $6,500 to Germany and another consignment of locally made arms fetched him $10,000 from the same country.

He appreciated the government’s efforts to put the potential of Darra Adamkhel’s arms manufacturers’ to use by allowing them to export their fine quality products to other countries.

However, he felt the government needed to do more to help them earn foreign exchange for the country.

He said, the government must make it possible for arms manufacturers to use opportunities that were coming their way following the exhibition of defence products entitled  “Ideas 2001” held in Karachi in which the arms manufacturers of Darra Adamkhel were also invited to display their products.

“After the exhibition, we received an encouraging response from foreign buyers,” Mr Shoaib said, who is also the president of the Sarhad Sporting Arms and Manufacturing Association, Darra Adamkhel.

Another arms manufacturer from Darra Adamkhel said their products (including copies of well-known international brands) stood greater chances in international markets because of being low priced as compared to the original foreign brands.

“The price of Darra Adamkhel-made copy of an Italian shotgun is only Rs20,000 against Rs120,000 of the original version,” he said.