Amidst the prevailing socio-political uncertainty that has characterized the period leading up to the general elections 2008, the regulated sale of weapons has registered an increase of almost 1,500 per cent.
Citizens themselves are feeling insecure with regards to the potential – both perceived and actual – for trouble during the run up to the elections, in particular polling day itself and the fallout of the election results.
As a consequence of this uncertainty, the sale of legal weapons in the city witnessed an enormous increase in January this year.
In the backdrop of this trend, the city had seen severely deteriorated and out-of-control law and order situations on several occasions last year, the most recent of which was the lawlessness that reigned in the city for many days following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on December 27.
Now, with trouble on the cards, the arms’ dealers in the city say that the adverse law and order situation, a poignant manifestation of which was observed on May 12 and December 27, has forced the citizens to start thinking about taking their security into their own hands. As widely reported in media on these two occasions, law-enforcing agencies failed to provide security to common citizens.
A survey of the arms’ market in Saddar revealed that there had been at least a 1,500 per cent increase in the sale of legal arms in the city.
A dealer of arms, Khan Qaseem Ahmed, speaking to The News said that the citizens of Karachi are feeling unsecured, which has therefore resulted in the increase in the legal sale of arms to such a great extent.
Continuing, he said: “Say an arms’ dealer used to sell one gun to one person in one day previously. The same dealer is now selling guns to 15 persons in the current circumstances.” Interestingly, this increase in the sale of guns comes while there is a ban on the issuance of gun licenses currently in place in the province.
“The general public has learnt that law-breakers have an open field to do whatever they like. They have a variety of modern guns to harass the citizens who are unarmed,” said Ahmed.
He added that the arms’ dealers have two types of customers these days. “One category is that of those customers who have concerns about their individual security and the other consists of those who want protection for their business places,” he said.
According to him, people prefer to purchase repeaters and TTs these days...
Citizens themselves are feeling insecure with regards to the potential – both perceived and actual – for trouble during the run up to the elections, in particular polling day itself and the fallout of the election results.
As a consequence of this uncertainty, the sale of legal weapons in the city witnessed an enormous increase in January this year.
In the backdrop of this trend, the city had seen severely deteriorated and out-of-control law and order situations on several occasions last year, the most recent of which was the lawlessness that reigned in the city for many days following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on December 27.
Now, with trouble on the cards, the arms’ dealers in the city say that the adverse law and order situation, a poignant manifestation of which was observed on May 12 and December 27, has forced the citizens to start thinking about taking their security into their own hands. As widely reported in media on these two occasions, law-enforcing agencies failed to provide security to common citizens.
A survey of the arms’ market in Saddar revealed that there had been at least a 1,500 per cent increase in the sale of legal arms in the city.
A dealer of arms, Khan Qaseem Ahmed, speaking to The News said that the citizens of Karachi are feeling unsecured, which has therefore resulted in the increase in the legal sale of arms to such a great extent.
Continuing, he said: “Say an arms’ dealer used to sell one gun to one person in one day previously. The same dealer is now selling guns to 15 persons in the current circumstances.” Interestingly, this increase in the sale of guns comes while there is a ban on the issuance of gun licenses currently in place in the province.
“The general public has learnt that law-breakers have an open field to do whatever they like. They have a variety of modern guns to harass the citizens who are unarmed,” said Ahmed.
He added that the arms’ dealers have two types of customers these days. “One category is that of those customers who have concerns about their individual security and the other consists of those who want protection for their business places,” he said.
According to him, people prefer to purchase repeaters and TTs these days...
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