Chowrangi

The News reports sale of registered weapons in Sindh have risen by 1500 percent in January as Elections 2008 are approaching.

An arms dealer in Saddar, Karachi, told the News: “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.

According to that dealer, people prefer to purchase repeaters and TTs these days. He said that a majority of his customers know what type of guns they should purchase. However, he said, when they are uncertain about it, the arms’ dealers themselves advise them, for example, to purchase a repeater for home and factory security and a TT pistol for their personal safety.

Locally manufactured repeaters are available in the market in the price range of Rs4,000 to 15,000. The imported repeater from China is available in the market at Rs40,000 to 45,000. The price of a TT pistol ranges from Rs4,000 to 30,000.

There is also a quota of purchasing bullets from the market. Generally a holder of a legal license can purchase 50 or 100 bullets in a year.

This certainly points towards government’s inefficiency to curb crime and provide security to the citizens.

Let’s hope these weapons should not come out on polling day.

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