LAHORE: Despite a two-year-long campaign to reduce arms proliferation, the Punjab government has failed to collect verified data of illegal arms as well as weapons reportedly found missing from police and district stores, raising questions over the effectiveness of its de-weaponisation drive.

In the meanwhile, the Punjab home department has written to all deputy commissioners, CCPO Lahore, all CPOs and DPOs in the province afresh, seeking details of confiscated/ seized illegal weapons within three days.

The home department says it is undertaking a comprehensive review of “the ongoing efforts to curb the proliferation of illicit arms”. It has time and again apprehended that the availability of illegal weapons possesses a direct threat to public safety, challenges the rule of law, and can potentially fuel other criminal activities. It asserts that a robust and data-driven approach is essential to effectively counter this challenge.

The home department has asked all concerned to provide a detailed report in respective officers’ jurisdiction on prescribed format that requires data on type of weapon (pistol, revolver, rifle etc.; make, model and caliber; weapon’s serial number (if visible); case details (FIR number, police station); details of the accused person(s); and current custody/storage location of the weapon.

Home department’s earlier order fell on deaf ears

It was reported earlier that a large quantity of weapons had been missing from the custody of police and district stores. Then home secretary Noorul Amin Mengal had sought a report on the missing weapons initially within 10 days and later the deadline was extended. The report is yet to be furnished to the home department.

The government’s de-weaponisation campaign’s `effectiveness’ can, however, be measured from the fact that the home department’s direction to all deputy commissioners in July last year seeking an audit of all arms dealers and report by July 31, 2024, was not responded well.

Eventually, the home department has recently launched scrutiny of arms dealers and assessed 511 arms dealers’ credentials. As many as 393 dealers have been cleared, while 28 dealers’ licenses have been cancelled. The scrutiny of remaining arms dealers is going on.

While the government is engaged in de-weaponisation of the society, it has also been facing a strong pressure from the public for the issuance of new arms licences. The government has, however, been keeping the ban intact on issuance of new licences to institutions, security companies and individuals since April 2024.

It may be mentioned that the department had once told the public that it was developing an online portal for the application of new and renewal of arms licenses but that never saw the light.

The home department had held several meetings with the chief minister and senior government functionaries but was never allowed to open issuance of new arms licenses. The home department had also announced delegation of powers to respective deputy commissioners for the issuance of licences in the past but all in vain.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has given a 15 days deadline asking all illegal arms holders to return their weapons to avoid legal action.

The government had already revised the age-old Punjab Arms Ordinance 1965 in June this year and introduced stringent punishments for carrying illegal arms, making all such offences non-bailable.

In case of carrying illegal weapon, the new law hands down four to seven years imprisonment and Rs1 million fine; for carrying prohibited bore weapons seven to 10 years imprisonment and Rs2 million fine; and in case of carrying both illegal and prohibited bore weapons, the punishment goes from 10 years to 14 years imprisonment and Rs3 million fine.

The home department, it is learnt, is beginning a process of scrutiny of over one million arms licenses already issued, beginning in phases from districts to divisions.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2025