KARACHI, July 6: Alarmed by a massive increase in the cases of kidnapping for ransom and extortion, the business community has been running from pillar to post to get arms licences but the home department has obliged only a few applicants so far.

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president Mohammad Saeed Shafiq told Dawn that around 30 members of the chamber had applied for arms licences but only two of them became successful over the last two-and-a-half-months. Prior to this, around 30 per cent of KCCI members (about 18,000) had succeeded in getting arms licences, he said.

He recalled that Interior Minister Rehman Malik had several times assured the KCCI that arms licences would be issued to its members on the recommendation of the chamber.

The KCCI chief noted that there had been an alarming rise in the kidnapping of businessmen and traders in the city while law and order situation had also deteriorated considerably, exposing its members to the threat posed by kidnappers, extortionists and criminals.

“The chamber has been receiving eight to 10 such complaints every day mainly from industrialists and traders,” he said, adding that the victims usually did not opt for lodging an FIR fearing reprisals from the ‘mafia’ and gangs harbouring the criminals.

He said the business community badly needed arms for self-protection but they were facing hardship in acquiring the licences.

Mr Shafiq also rejected the recent directive issued by the Provincial Police Officer, Wajid Ali Durrani, asking the business community and industrialists to seek permission for keeping arms. He argued that those already issued with arms licences did not need to seek a fresh permission to carry arms. Therefore, he informed KCCI members, the PPO’s directive in this regard was not acceptable to the chamber.

The All Karachi Tajir Ittehad chairman, Atiq Mir, claimed that some 8,000 traders had approached the organisation with request to help acquire arms licences for their self-defence.

He said the requests in such a big number were made without any announcement having been made by the organisation in this regard.

North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI) chairman Faraz Mirza also said that almost every member of his association needed arms for self-defence.

He said the association had urged the home department to lay down a procedure under which arms licences could be issued to all industrialists, watchmen and guards.