ISLAMABAD: Not to mention hassle-free availability of illegal weapons throughout the country, the government over the past four years has issued about 50,000 prohibited-bore arms licences.

According to official documents, the licences have been issued since the PPP-led coalition came into power in 2008 to applicants from all the provinces, allowing them to carry sub-machineguns and AK-47s for their personal security.

The interior ministry issued 27,551 permits in 2009, 11,776 in 2008, 5,789 in 2010 and 4,682 last year.

The licences were issued on the approval of the prime minister, the interior minister and the minister of state for interior.

A new arms policy is under consideration because issuance of licences has become a provincial subject after the adoption by parliament of the 18th Amendment.

In December, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani promised to issue licences of weapons of prohibited bore to Punjab PPP MPAs after they complained at a provincial parliamentary party meeting that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has refused to issue them the permits.

In Punjab, 17,595 licences were issued. In Lahore district, 5,211 people were allowed to defend themselves with automatic weapons. In Gujranwala, 2,160 licences were issued, Rawalpindi 1,863, Gujrat 1,431, Sheikhupura 1,161 and Faisalabad 837. No application was received from Chiniot and Sahiwal.

In Sindh, 11,800 applicants got the licences, including 5,368 in Karachi, 1,078 in Nawabshah, 682 each in Dadu and Larkana, 484 each in Hyderabad and Jacobabad and 352 each in Mirpurkhas and Sukkur. No application was received from Tando Muhammad Khan.

In Balochistan, 14,259 licences were awarded, including 7,506 in Quetta, 1,674 in Sibi, 810 in Naseerabad, 729 each in Chagai and Qila Abdullah and 567 in Jafarabad.

No licence was issued in Awaran, Barkhan, Kharan and Gwadar.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, only 6,144 licences were issued despite lawlessness, including 3,520 in Peshawar, 1,120 in Charsadda, 1,024 in Bannu, 736 in Abbottabad and 640 in Malakand. No permit was issued in Buner and Kohistan.

When asked the reason, an interior ministry official said the region was home to illegal weapons manufacturing and trade and people didn't mind keeping arms without licences.

According to officials, a large number of licences were issued for personal security but the data also includes permits issued to private security agencies.

In late 2009, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) revealed that thousands of licences for prohibited-bore weapons had been issued in irregularly and in violation of rules.

By Khawar Ghumman