Sindh Acting CM Maqbool Baqar halts license issuance in the province.
The Interior Secretary followed the directive and issued a notification prohibiting the issuance of new weapons license. The decision was made following an investigation that found criminals are renting firearms through an active network.
Traces of new weaponry have been found by investigators in relation to recent street crimes and target killings. Bullet casings discovered at crime scenes are said to be unidentifiable from the weapons used in earlier crimes.
To yet, the city’s street crimes have not been thoroughly reported by the police or the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). Federal investigative authorities have detained several suspects and are currently looking into these cases.
There has been a sharp rise in street crimes in Karachi in recent months. Data gathered by the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) indicates that in August of this year, more than fifty Karachiites perished.
In a similar vein, 62 persons lost their lives in various street crimes throughout the city last month. In addition, during the month, 207 cars, 5,399 motorcycles, and 2,464 cell phones were taken away from the populace.
The chairman of the All Karachi Trade Union, Atiq Mir, has demanded that the Pakistan Army step in to help reduce street crime in the city.
It is important to note that as a result of increased street crime in the province, especially in Karachi and other major cities in Sindh, and the police’s inadequate response to the problem, citizens are choosing to own weapons for self-defense, and as a result, the number of people applying for weapons licenses in the province is growing daily.
