THE Sindh government has imposed a ban on display of fire arms in public areas, but the ban is being violated openly and blatantly without any action by the government.

I recently visited a private hospital’s emergency room in Clifton area, and saw a man with a pump-action gun standing on the road, pointing the weapon around in a casual manner perhaps to scare the patients and the caregivers.

When I told him that it was illegal to display firearms in public, he said that he knew nothing about such a law and had been detailed by the hospital administration to stand there.

The guard clearly did not even know how to handle the weapon he was carrying, and how to take the necessary safety precautions. If at all the hospital required an armed security guard, he should be under some cover, or positioned in some observation post to combat any threat.

Standing exposed, the graud was actually an easy target for any miscreants himeslef and could only be a safety hazard for the patients and their attendants. Will the hospital and police authorities take necessary action in this regard?

Air-Cdre (retd) Khayyam Durrani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023