PESHAWAR, Jan 5: The Peshawar police have seized 3,390 weapons during the year 2002, almost three times less than the previous year, in which 12,571 arms and 500kgs of explosive materials were either recovered from the outlaws or surrendered by the locals during the de-weaponization campaign.

The military government had launched the anti-weapon drive in 2001 throughout the country in a bid to improve the law and order situation. Frontier province was on the top in the de-weaponization campaign list from where a large quantity of arms were surrendered by the people voluntarily.

Even the sitting MPA from Dera Ismail Khan, Inayatullah Gandapur had surrendered his armoured personnel carrier (APC) during the de-weaponization campaign.

Sources in police told Dawn here on Saturday that in the year 2002, 389 Kalashnikovs, 40 Kalakovs, 290 rifles, 381 shotguns, 14 stenguns, 2131 pistols and 246,484 cartridges of different calibre were recovered from the outlaws.

In 2001, 364 Kalashnikovs, 61 Kalakovs, 356 rifles, 288 shotguns, 11 stenguns, 1830 pistols and 113,644 rounds of different-bore weapons were either seized by the police or surrendered by the locals voluntarily during the de-weaponization campaign.

In 2002, 125 hand grenades; 14 dynamites; two each detonators, rocket launchers and fuses were seized by the Peshawar police. Whereas, in 2001, 132 hand grenades, 8 dynamites, 7000 detonators, 3 rocket launchers, 2500 fuses, 11 cannon balls, 7 bosters and 500kgs of explosive materials were either seized or surrendered by the locals voluntarily to the Peshawar police.

But, the Peshawar police improved the seizure of contraband in the year 2002 as in that year 10,146kgs of contraband and 551 bottles of alcohol were seized. In the year 2001, 3,406kgs of contraband and 493 bottles of foreign-made alcohol were recovered. In 2002, 6539.409kgs of hashish, 61.016kgs of heroin, 110.226kgs of opium, 3436kgs of locally-made liquor and 551 bottles of foreign-made alcohol were seized.