ISLAMABAD, Nov 4: Computerization of arms licences and their validation started in the capital from Monday with a view to storing complete data of arms and checking illegal weapons.

Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider inaugurated the pilot project of computerization of arms licences here at the Excise and Taxation Office. This project has been launched for the first time in the country from Islamabad.

Speaking on the occasion, the federal minister termed Islamabad a ‘laboratory’ of the country where a new project was tested, which, if successful, could then be launched in other provinces.

However, he said there were many hurdles for the centre to get a project implemented in a province because, at times, it was thought that it could affect provincial autonomy.

He said earlier there was no system of storing data about arms licences as a result of which the government could not find complete data of weapons when it wanted to compile countrywide details of arms licences.

Talking about a campaign launched for de-weaponization in the country, he said some 210,000 illegal weapons had been confiscated under the drive launched some 16 months ago before 9/11.

“Our country was in the grip of Kalashnikov culture, thus it was very difficult for the government to eliminate this culture to provide a peaceful atmosphere to the people. With the confiscation of 210,000 illegal arms, Pakistan had stood second in the list of countries who had worked on de-weaponization,” he added.

The minister lauded the efforts of the Islamabad Capital Territory administration, Askari Soft, the company which prepared the software for computerization of arms, and philanthropists who had contributed to the launching of the project.

He claimed that all projects started by the government in its tenure were not temporary and would yield longlasting and fruitful results with the passage of time.

“I hope that the new government will continue these longlasting projects for the betterment of the country,” he said.

The minister said a Motor Vehicles Registration Authority (MVRA) would be established in Islamabad within the next three to four weeks.

He said he had been working on computerization of arms licences and vehicle registrations for over two and a half and six years respectively.

Elaborating the project, deputy commissioner Islamabad Tariq Mehmood Khan said the project would cost Rs5.226 million under which the record of over 45,000 arms licences would be saved.

“So far we have saved the record of 25,000 arms and the data of the remaining 20,000 would be saved within a couple of weeks.”

The official said after compiling the data of arms, the process of re-validation and re-verification would be started under which arms license-holders would be called in the ETO to verify their weapon.

He said the Islamabad Development Working Party (IDWP) had already approved the PC-I of the project.

He said five computer operators had been appointed to start the process of data entry.

The deputy commissioner said the format of forms for re- registration of arms licences had been devised and after completion of data entry process, new forms would be advertised through print media.