SHC allows ministry to issue computerised arms licences

Karachi
The Sindh High Court on Friday allowed the interior ministry to issue computerised arms licences and continue to re-verify arms licence cards through the National Database Regulatory Authority (Nadra).
The permission was granted at a hearing of an application of the interior ministry that sought a change in an interim order of the high court.
The interim order had been issued on a petition against amendments to the arms rules of 1924 that allowed replacing arms licences in the booklet form with those in the card form. The court had however ordered that no fresh arms licences would be issued in the form of cards.
The petitioners, including Mohammad Ayub, had complained that the authorities were not complying with the interim order.
The interior ministry submitted that following the December 16 terrorists attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, a large number of citizens had sought arms licences on security grounds. However, it said, the requests for new licences and re-verification of the existing licences could not be processed in view of the interim stay order.
It noted that the arms licences in the form of plastic cards had attained legal value after amendments to the arms rules that authorised Nadra to issue computerised arms license cards in place of booklet licences.
It said the aim of amendments was to upgrade and modernise the arms licensing process and database maintenance for better security profiling and to discourage fraudulent and criminal issuance or usage of arms licences.
The court heard that Nadra had established 164 centres across the country to facilitate the public in renewing arms licences. The ministry said the revival of outdated booklet mechanism would cause an irreparable loss to the national exchequer and undermine attempts to regulate the arms licensing regime in the country.
“The computerisation project helps with the detection of fake and bogus licences and enable the government to develop a vibrant and live database working towards security, transparency and accountability in entire process,” the ministry said.
On July 25, 2012, the SHC had declared the interior ministry’s scheme for the issuance of new arms licence cards as “without lawful authority and violative of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance and Arms Rules”. A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Faisal Arab, for reason to be recorded later, allowed the interior ministry to issue computerised arms licences and continue the re-verification process.