Sindh govt lifts ban on arms licences

The Sindh government on Friday lifted the ban on arms licences across the province. According to a notification issued by Dr Muhammad Usman Chachar, secretary to the provincial government, with the approval of the competent authority, the ban imposed on the issuance of arms licences has been lifted with immediate effect and until further orders, and the monthly quota of the approving authorities as prescribed under Rule 4.1 of the Sindh Arms Rules-2018 has been restored.

The notification says that only computerised arms licences of non-prohibited bores will be issued as per the prescribed monthly quota and subject to the fulfillment of all requirements as laid down in the Sindh Arms Act-2013 and the Sindh Arms Rules-2018.

The Sindh government had imposed the ban on issuing new arms licences in September 2013, in the wake of the deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi and other parts of the province.

In January 2019, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had directed the provincial government to devise a policy for the issuance of prohibited and non-prohibited arms licences. Hearing a petition, the court had said the federal government’s ban on automatic arms licences was not effective anymore.

The additional advocate general told the court that the Sindh Arms Rules had already been formed while the court directed him to enact a new policy in light of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance and the Sindh Arms Rules.