PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has directed authorities to crack down on illegal weapons in the province.

In an official communication sent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police’s chief, divisional commissioners, regional police officers, including the capital city police officer of Peshawar, deputy commissioners, and district police officers, the home department said that it had noted the “illegal, unwarranted, and unnecessary” display of prohibited and non-prohibited bore weapons, as well as unlicensed and illegal weapons, in the province.

It ordered a clampdown on the display of weapons, both licensed and unlicensed, in or around the premises of educational institutions, wedding halls, hostels, boarding or lodging houses, courts of law, public offices, and other public places with the “intention of use of such weapons for aerial firing during ceremonies, frightening citizenry with unnecessary display at places and at times when display is not required for safety.”

“It is apprehended that the same [display of weapons] may take root in society, which can lead to dangerous outcomes, especially the spread of avoidable fear in the general public as well as an impact on youth,” it said in the letter.

Asks centre for list of its residents given arms licences

The department said that the issue was also taken up by the Supreme Court by converting a criminal petition on “submachine guns and other prohibited bore weapons” into a Constitutional one on Jan 17, 2024.

It added that the action against unlicensed, illegal and prohibited bore weapons was also emphasised by the Apex Committee on Illegal Spectrum.

The department pointed out that the court proceedings were communicated to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for two clear actions: no individual would display non-prohibited bore weapons publicly, and any person found to be displaying such weapons would be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.

It added that the crackdown on unlicensed and illegal weapons must be initiated at the earliest so the province was “de-weaponised.”

The department pointed out that the ministry of interior also circulated similar instructions to authorities in a letter on March 8, 2024.

It added that Section 13 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Arms Act, 2015, declared, “The government may by general or special order, prohibit keeping, carrying, or displaying arms at such places or times or on such occasions such as within the premises of educational institutions, hostels or boarding or lodging houses, fairs or in gatherings, processions or political, religious, ceremonial or sectarian or courts or law or public offices. Any person violating such order be disarmed by the police officers or other person empowered by government in this behalf.”

The home department also requested the interior ministry to provide it with a list of the residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to whom the latter had issued licences for both prohibited and non-prohibited bore weapons, as well as the rules and policy under which those licences were issued in writing.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024