The Sindh Home Department has issued more than 40,000 arms licences to "jiyalas" (party workers) of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on secretarial, ministerial and MPAs quota.
Sources in the home department told Business Recorder that the PPP-led government has more than 40,000 arms licences in which 28,000 were issued on Home Minister Sindh Dr Zulfiqar Mirza quota, around 7,600 issued on Home Secretary Muhammad Arif Khan while more than 4,500 arms licences have been issued to the jiyalas on MPAs quota.
"In 62 years' history of the country, it would be the maximum number of arms licences issued by the home department to party workers in just a short span of 17 months, sources said, adding that the rapid issuance of arms licences to political workers might cause ignition arms race in the province."
It may be mentioned the newly elected cabinet had imposed complete ban on issuance of arms licences by analysing rapid increase in issuance of arms licences. The government estimates the previous government in five years issued more than 85,000 licences during 2002 to 2007 and imposed a ban on issuance of licences.
They added Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah lifted the ban on issuance of arms licences on request of Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza in August 11, 2008 after which the present government issued 40,000 licences in 17 months. A large number of political activists after approval from minister, secretary and members of provincial government stormed home department for arms licence.
They said the department received lists of hundreds of candidates, which was referred by the provincial home minister in a single day due to which the concerned department and section officers were bound in their offices to complete their work in a stipulated time period mentioned on the top of list. "The process could not be stopped even after passing 17 months of the ban," they added.
They said the people belonging to the interior of province approached ministers, MPAs for getting licence from the department in the name of private security to the ministers and advisors. Home department issued licence to private security guards of many MPAs owing to prevailing law and order situation in the province, but many of them are not using their arms licensed with legal weapon, they added.