IT is commendable that the Punjab government is moving to eliminate illegal weapons from the province. It now remains to be seen how effective and equitable the crackdown proves to be.

The decision, taken during a Friday meeting presided over by the provincial chief executive, entails the introduction of new laws in the province, integrated security measures and the regulation of licensed arms through strict scrutiny of their bearers. Separately, the provincial police chief has announced the Punjab Surrender of Illegal Arms Act, 2025, which is to be implemented in a phased manner.

The first phase will seek the surrender of all illegal weapons, which will then be destroyed in the second phase. Finally, the provincial police force will move to enforce more strictly various arms-related laws. It appears that its recent confrontation with a religio-political party has shaken the Punjab government into action, and it now wishes to reassert the state’s monopoly over violence.

This is all well and good, and the initiative must be supported if the intention is to secure peace for the province. At the same time, it must be highlighted that Punjab Police itself has recently been at the centre of a serious controversy involving extrajudicial killings. If the bearing of arms is to be strictly regulated, it follows naturally that those who are allowed to carry deadly weapons should be held to a very strict standard of conduct.

The Punjab government and its police force seem keen to enforce strict standards on civilians, as they should, but what seems missing is any standard for self-accountability, even as the number of deadly police ‘encounters’ continues to rise. It is here that the Punjab government must demonstrate that the measures being taken to prevent gun violence are meant for everyone’s protection. It must hold errant officers to account as well.

That said, the other provinces would do well to also pay attention to the problem. Gun-toting guards have become a sought-after symbol of power in urban areas, especially Karachi, and the rapid proliferation of this practice has made it very difficult to ascertain who bears arms rightfully and who bears them just to intimidate others. Ideally, no display of weapons in public should be allowed at all, but given the country’s perennially troubled security environment, armed guards may be necessary in some contexts.

For such cases, apart from extensive checks and scrutiny of arms licences, as well as mandatory psychological examinations of those who seek to bear them, the state must also consider measures like requiring private guards to wear a universally recognisable uniform so that it is easier for the public to feel more at ease among those carrying arms openly. Peaceful citizens should feel safe wherever they go. Much needs to be done to ensure that.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2025