LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to eradicate illegal weapons and arms smuggling culture from the province by introducing new laws regarding drone policing, integrated security and arms regulation through strict scrutiny of one million licenced weapons.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to review the law and order situation in the province, according to a handout issued on Friday.

The meeting decided to re-examine and strictly scrutinise one million licenced weapons across the province by introducing ‘Punjab Surrender of Illegal Arms Act 2025’, which would be implemented in three phases — return of weapons, their destruction and enforcement of arms-related laws.

The handout says illegal arms holders in Punjab are directed to return their weapons within 15 days, while licenced arms would also be checked across the province very soon.

“A complete check of arms licences issued in Punjab will be conducted. The owner and issuer of licenced arms will be verified. It was also decided in the meeting that federal arms licence holders in Punjab will also be checked and the Punjab government will contact the federal government for their verification,” it says.

IGP dispels impression religious organisations being targeted; CCD head claims 70pc overall decline in crime rate

The Punjab government decided that only police personnel and registered security guards would be allowed to possess weapons.

“Private security companies will be registered in Punjab under effective regulations. It was decided that private security guards will be linked to Punjab Police Helpline 15 and a standard section will be created in the Punjab Police for instant policing. A pilot project of drone policing will be launched in Lahore for early access to crime scenes,” it adds.

The handout says the drone policing system will later be expanded to the entire province. The government decided to install modern weapon scanners at 14 important entry and exit points of the province.

It was also decided that arms smuggling would be dealt with an iron hand and would be punishable with 14 years imprisonment. Moreover, the annual arms licence fee will be increased by 100 percent to discourage arms culture.

IGP: Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar warned those taking the law into their own hands of strict action, dispelling the impression that religious organisations are being targeted in the province.

Addressing a press conference at the Central Police Office here on Friday, the IGP said that as many as 88 FIRs have been lodged against a religious organisation (TLP) under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for resorting to violence during its recent march on Islamabad.

“We would implement the laws at any cost”, he said while dispelling the impression that the Punjab police were targeting religious organisations.

Special Secretary Home Fazalur Rehman and Additional IG of the Crime Control Department (CCD), Sohail Zafar Chattha, were also present.

He thanked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for her special directives for establishing the CCD and Riot Management Police (RMP) and providing necessary facilities to the police.

He announced that with the introduction of the Punjab Surrender of Illegal Arms Act 2025, all illegal arms across the province must be surrendered within 15 days. A campaign has also been launched to eradicate gun display culture from the province, he added.

The IGP said that over one million licenced weapons would be re-verified across Punjab.

He emphasised that individuals keeping illegal weapons under the pretext of personal enmities or self-protection would face strict and indiscriminate action, while those involved in the illegal arms trade would also be dealt with severely.

He said the CCD will take comprehensive measures to make the province arm-free.

“Illegal weapons can be surrendered at the CCD offices, designated police stations and notified collection centers,” he said.

All recovered illegal arms will be destroyed under the CCD supervision, he said, adding that scanners are being installed at provincial border check-posts to prevent arms smuggling.

The IGP said that the recruitment process for private security guards is being tightened, and all guards will be trained under police supervision, while their weapon licences will be strictly regulated.

Crackdowns are also underway on target killers and hired shooters, he said.

A new ‘panic button’ system is being introduced for private guards, which will be connected to the police emergency helpline 15.

Dr Usman Anwar also shared that more than 2,500 abducted or missing children have been safely reunited with their families through the Virtual Centre for Child Safety.

Punjab Special Secretary Mr Rehman said that possession of illegal weapons will carry imprisonment of 4 to 14 years and fines between Rs1 million and Rs3 million, while the offence will be non-bailable.

Additional IG CCD Mr Chattha said that since the CCD establishment, there has been a significant decline in crime rates across the province, as the incidence of murder has dropped by 33 per cent, vehicle snatching by 62pc, vehicle theft by 51pc, dacoity by 70pc and street robbery by 71pc across Punjab.

He added that under the ongoing crackdown on illegal arms, the department aims to reduce weapon-based crimes by 75pc within the next four months.

Furthermore, Mr Chattha said that murder cases in the province have fallen from 1,300 to 800 per month, while the overall crime rate has decreased by 70pc.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025