The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has submitted 'De-weaponisation of Pakistan Bill, 2011' in the National Assembly Secretariat with the objective of freeing the country from strife. "Ban on legal and illegal production, trade, transferring, use and display of weapons and arms is very necessary to curb bloodshed, target killing of innocent citizens and to establish peace in the country.
For this purpose, the MQM has submitted a bill in the National Assembly Secretariat to de-weaponise the country," MQM leader Farooq Sattar told media at a news conference in National Press Club on Monday. There are 24 clauses in the Bill.
According to clause 6 of the Bill, "All persons who are in possession of arms, ammunition, and weapons without any authorisation or valid licence, are required to surrender such arms, ammunitions, weapons to the authorised person or agency designated by the Government in the district where they ordinarily reside, within three months from the events specified in Section 20."
Clause 7 of the Bill says, "Whosoever contravenes the provisions of section 6, the arms, ammunitions and weapons as mentioned in section 6 shall be seized and forfeited by the Government and he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than seven years and not more than twelve years and shall also be liable to fine up to rupees five million. In case of default, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment for a further period of three years."
According to section 9 of the Bill, "No person shall manufacture, produce and assemble arms and ammunitions illicitly anywhere in Pakistan after three months from the commencement of this Act." Under clause 10 of the Bill, "Whosoever contravenes the provision of Section (9) shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than twelve years and not more than fifteen years and shall also be liable to fine not less than ten million rupees. In case of non-payment of the fine, he may be punished with further imprisonment up to a period of three years.
Illicit trafficking in arms and weapons shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than nine years and not more than twelve years and shall also be fined not less than rupees seven and a half million and in default of such payment shall under go imprisonment for a further period of three years.
The Bill also proposes to ban display of arms. According to clause 12 of the Bill, "Whosoever displays new, operational, old or ancestral non-operative arms or weapons in public shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than three years and exceeding seven years and fine not more than rupees five million.
Farooq said that the Bill also proposes to constitute a committee for implementation of the 'Act'. He said that this Committee would play a role of a watchdog. He said that in this regard, the committee would submit its report and recommendations to the Prime Minister. According to clause 23 of the Bill, "The Committee shall comprise eleven members, of which one member shall be its Chairman, who shall be a retired judge of any High Court or the Supreme Court of Pakistan." "The remaining ten members of the Committee shall be appointed in manner that two persons each shall be nominated by first five political parties in majority in the National Assembly."
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