Sindh govt imposes ban on carrying, display of arms

KARACHI 24 Feb (Online): The Sindh government on Friday imposed a three-month ban on carrying and displaying weapons in the province.

According to the notification issued by the provincial government, the ban will be effective immediately. It noted that Police Rangers and law enforcement agencies will be exempted from this order.

The notification added that SHOs of all police stations have been directed to register cases against those violating the ban.

It was reported that at least 13 people lost their lives in incidences of street crime in Karachi last month, as residents remained vulnerable against street criminals.

Earlier this month, the Sindh provincial assembly expressed concern over the law and order situation — including street crime, dacoities and kidnapping for ransom.

Opposition members belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) criticised law enforcers for their negligent role in curbing the criminal activities.

“I was robbed outside my house. No one is safe in their house or outside,” said PTI MPA Hassan.

Minister for Labour Saeed Ghani said that the CM recently held meetings with the inspector general of police and the Karachi police chief to discuss concerns over street crime. In the meetings, the CM gave clear directives to the police to control the situation.

Shaharyar Mahar of GDA drew attention towards instances of kidnapping for ransom in Shikarpur, Ghotki and Sukkur areas. He said hold-ups including depriving people of their motorcycles or cell phone were on the rise in small towns and cities.

“Every time when we raise this issue, the CM promises to control the law and order and curb street crimes, but this never happens. We request the Sindh government to either curb the crime or issue arms licenses to the people so that they can adopt safety measures on their own,” he said.

Ghani said that the provincial government was taking appropriate action in conjunction with police and law enforcement agencies. “I’ll bring this issue into the knowledge of CM and IGP,” he said.