IT is telling that several members of the federal cabinet have opposed Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s proposal that a ban be placed on the issuance of licences for prohibited and automatic weapons. The objections came primarily from cabinet members who hail either from Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; both have a provincial-tribal culture of valuing guns. (Still, it must be said that the majority of those who spoke on the issue were in favour of the ban). This country is awash with weapons that are easily obtainable and that range from small firearms to automatic weapons to even those that are prohibited. There are many arguments to be made for this being one of the reasons contributing to the high crime levels in the country, especially in cities like Karachi. But there is another factor that must be considered as well: over the years, a disturbing and unseemly gun culture has built up, particularly in political and feudal circles, where the number of guards accompanying a VIP and the size of the weapons these men wield — often right in the citizen’s face — is taken as a measure of their importance. Apart from this being a dangerous trend, it is also reminiscent of the crassest banana-republic traditions — something that one wishes would have been beneath the dignity of our political and other elites to emulate.

Pakistan needs to drastically reduce the number of weapons on its streets, and the example ought to be set by the elites. The prime minister’s initiative deserves being taken forward. Regarding the suspension of licences, on Tuesday, he constituted a committee to further deliberate on the matter so that a consensus could be reached. It can only be hoped that such a consensus is forward-looking and aims to counter the gun culture, and not to perpetuate it. While it must be acknowledged that there is some truth to the objections of cabinet members that rampant crime and terrorism render the citizenry insecure, and that is why some individuals want to carry arms, the underlying goal must not be forgotten. The larger task is to nurture conditions that lead to a significant drop in crime and acts of terrorism. There have been earlier initiatives to clamp down on the gun culture, such as people being asked to turn in their weapons to the police. If pursued, this, too, could carry dividends.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2017