20000226

CKIA memorandum to CE

Industrialists, traders

be exempted from ban

on carrying arms

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Council of Karachi's Industrial Associations (CKIA) has sent memorandum to Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf to reconsider the decision of ban imposed on carrying licensed arms and demanded exemption for industrialists, business community and their guards.

CKIA Chairman Farooq Bakaly, has taken strong exception to the news item in a section of the press that the government has put an immediate ban on the issuance of all kinds of arms licenses as part of its "seven-stage formal ban" to create a weapon free society in the country.

The government also decided to strictly prohibit the carrying of all sports weapons with effect from March 1,2000.

Presiding over a meeting of four industrial associations, he said that the executive committee of CKIA in its meeting held on February 22 expressed its grave concern on the news and is of the opinion that the ban on the issuance of all kinds of arms licenses and intention to the citizens on the advice of bureaucracy and law enforcing agencies, is not the right decision at such a time when the robberies and looting of cash etc. have become routine and nobody is safe.

He said that the news appearing in various papers revealed that all robberies occurred at connivance with the police.

The council chief requested the government to exempt the industrialists and businessmen from this exercise. They and their guards should be allowed to keep and carry arms for self-defence and protection of their properties and business places.

He said that the council only support the decision of the government for non-display of all sort of weapons with effect from March 1, 2000.

He suggested that the government agencies should first check the illegal arms possessed by large number of people and mainly culprits behind the docoities, robberies, snatching of money, vehicles etc. occurring daily.

He said disarming the persons who were holders of legal arms licenses and allowing others to keep on protect of self-defence, means inviting the criminals to rob Ñ them as they could not resist in absence of arms, which was totally illogical proposition.