PEOPLE who move around with their guards and weapons are the main cause of the prevailing gun-toting culture in Pakistan. They love to show their power by creating a sense of terror in society. If they really feel unsafe in public places, they should stay home instead of terro-rising the people. The chief justice rightly remarked recently that no one in the world roams around in huge cars with tinted glasses and with security guards openly carrying automatic weapons.

A few years ago, a student had fallen victim to this very culture. The incident had created an uproar at the time. The civil society and media raised the issue which later resulted in the arrest of the accused who belonged to a feudal family.

Carrying weapons and having guards at a young age is quite normal in feudal as well as elite families. However, it is not considered a normal practice in any civilised society.

Pakistan should not be an exception to that. There should be effective and efficient measures in place to eradicate this evil practice from society, including restricting the issuance of arms licences.

Hamza Awan
Lahore

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2024