Protect citizens or issue arm licences to all, PHC directs govt

PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel said on Wednesday if the government can’t provide security to citizens, it should declare the country a licence-free society or issue arm licences to the people.
The PHC chief justice made the observations in a writ petition by Shabir Hussain Gigyani advocate, and supported by the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA). The petitioner had sought licence of Kalashnikov and other un-prohibited weapons for self-security of the lawyers.
The chief justice said that two senior lawyers were killed in the Tank district on Monday. He said that a day earlier, the provincial police chief reportedly stated that he could not provide security to all schools. He remarked that if the police could not provide security to people in such a critical law and order situation, the government should announce licence-free society.
Flanked by dozens of lawyers, PHCBA general secretary Muhammad Ayaz submitted before the bench that lawyers were being threatened and killed every day because of their profession.
He contended that after the lawyers movement, many lawyers were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone because the government and law-enforcing agencies had failed to protect them. During hearing of the case, a representative of Ministry of Interior informed the bench that the ministry was considering the lawyers’ demand, for which a meeting was scheduled with the KP government authorities on February 17.
However, the PHCBA general secretary informed the bench that due to target killings and abduction of doctors and the December 16 massacre at the Army Public School and College, the provincial government had allowed them to carry arms for self-protection.
The court asked the PHCBA general secretary and lawyers to provide the government’s notifications that allowed the doctors and teachers to carry arms so that the court issues direction to the government in the light of the notifications. The bench adjourned the case till today (Thursday) after the lawyers said they would produce the notifications in the court.