ISLAMABAD: Soon after coming into power the present government had not only imposed a ban on the issuance of arms licences of both prohibited and non-prohibited bores but also ordered verification of thousands of licences reportedly issued by the PPP government.

Though the ban still exists, Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan on Monday informed the National Assembly that four persons had been granted special arms licences. The list includes Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Salman Hussain, the son of President Mamnoon Hussain. The other two are Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Mohammad Saqib Jillani.

According to the written information, the prime minister was issued a non-prohibited bore licence in June this year. No specification of the weapon which the prime minister will keep was given in the answer.

The president’s son, however, got three licences of prohibited bores issued in his name in June. Justice Osmany, according to the written response provided by the interior minister to the house in response to a question asked by Shahida Rehmani of the PPP, also got a non-prohibited bore licence.

Mohammad Saqib Jilani got two non-prohibited and one prohibited bore licences.

The prohibited bore arms include AK 47, machine guns, sub-machine guns, etc., automatic weapons which can release many bullets with one press of the trigger. Non-prohibited bore arms are shot-guns, revolvers, pistols, etc.

The minister’s response was silent on what ground the licences were issued to the four applicants.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2015