24 December 2014

Pakistan: Weaponisation of a nation

By Dr. Sanchita Bhattacharya
Dec 16, 2014 

With the escalating inclination towards terrorism and lawlessness in Pakistan, the number of illegal weapons has also crossed the 60 million mark in the country.

According to a December 2014 report, the data collected from various sources reveals that the number of prohibited and non-prohibited weapons is about 65 million in Pakistan. The report reveals upsetting details: of these weapons, only 5 million weapons have licences while over 60 million are being carried by people without licences.

A huge number of illegal weapons is present in the suburbs of Peshawar, provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and tribal areas. There are also factories making big and small weapons, including Mausers, pistols and Kalashnikovs. The sources say most of the weapons found in Pakistan are brought from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Peshawar and Afghanistan’s Kunar province via Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies. The illegal weapons are also smuggled to Punjab from Afghanistan’s Paktia province via North and South Waziristan.

The domestic situation in Pakistan is worsened due to easy availability of weapons and arms. An unknown quantity of weapons, likely in the thousands, diverted into the hands of Pakistani dealers eventually ended up in border arms bazaars, supplying militant sectarian groups, terrorists, drug cartels, criminals and those seeking protection from such groups. Although the Afghan situation exacerbated the problem, it is a known fact that ‘gun culture’ has long existed in the northern frontier and the adjacent tribal areas. Therefore, in addition to the enduring weapons from the Cold War, areas in KP have a long history of craft production of weapons. In addition, tribal disputes in the frontier province of Balochistan, and in Sindh and Punjab are perpetrated by the abundance of cheaply available firearms.

Directly, the most affected province by the growing availability of these weapons is Sindh, particularly state capital Karachi. Though the problems in Sindh have been more political than ideological, much division occurs along ethnic lines. Throughout the 1980s, the levels of violence in Karachi reached unprecedented and shocking levels prior to the Pakistan Army’s intervention in 1992. Although Sindh traces a streak of violence, it is agreed that dramatic increase in the violence and polarisation dates from 1985 to 1986, when weapons from the Afghan pipeline began to find their way into commercial channels.

According to the 1998 census, there were two million licensed and 18 million unlicensed weapons in the country. On the contrary, the present number is worrisome. The sources say that there are about 17 million legal and illegal weapons only in Karachi (Sindh), whereas their number is over four million in Lahore (Punjab). In Karachi, nearly 18,000 people fell victim to gun violence between 1992 and 1998.

Interestingly, in the month of November 2014 a report stated that Hyderabad in Sindh is the most weaponised city of the province. Karachi, however, is perceived to be the metropolis with heaviest weaponisation figure. According to S.M. Iqbal, spokesperson of the Sindh Home Department, the provincial government had so far issued some 10,57,456 arms licenses to people from across Sindh. Of most of the total licences issued, at least 3,76,401, were to the people of Hyderabad. Karachi, where politically-motivated violence is the order of the day, comes next with its residents having got at least 2,54,255 of their weapons licensed apparently for 'self-defence'.

The people of Sukkur, which is regarded as relatively a peaceful city, stand at number three by obtaining some 1,50,923 arms licences from the Home Department. Official figures put Larkana at fourth position in terms of arms licences. The Home Department has licensed 1,50,553 weapons in Larkana. Mirpurkhas is the division where 1,24,771 weapons were allowed to be carried by the license holders.

It is a known fact that severe proliferation of weapons and arms in Pakistan began after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In addition to the cross-border flow of weapons, an estimated 30 percent of the weapons funnelled by US and Pakistani intelligence services to the Afghan resistance during the conflict were diverted for other purposes. Gunsmithing was effectively a cottage industry with marginal profits, but was transformed during the Soviet invasion when demand for weapons from Mujahideen groups soared. The weapons, everything from a pen that doubles as a pistol to a copy of an AK-47, or even an anti-aircraft gun, are made by hand, carry no serial numbers and are often or poor quality.

Pakistan, according to anti-arms campaigners, has one of the greatest per capita rates of gun ownership in the world. Though there are no official figures, rough estimates put the total number of small arms at large in the country at more than 20 million, with about half of them illegal. KP alone is believed to have nearly half a million illegitimate small arms and light weapons.

Along with extensive smuggling of weapons mainly from Afghanistan, the small arms menace in Pakistan is also the result of both legal and illegal arms manufacturing units in various parts of KP and the neighbouring FATA bordering Afghanistan. While some arms workshops in KP are registered with the government, the infamous industry in the FATA, including the main hubs of Darra Adam Khel, Bara and Jamrud, are unregistered.

Apart from the illegal market, Pakistan is also an importer of 'legal weapons'. Pakistan is the world’s third largest weapons importer, trailing behind India and China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The country’s arms imports increased by 119 percent between 2004–2008 and 2009–13, with China providing 54 percent and the USA 27 percent of Pakistan’s imports.

Arms proliferation both legal and illegal is a major security challenge to Pakistan. The trafficking and wide availability of these weapons fuel militancy and communal conflict and threaten lives and the country's development. Authorities are working to reduce the problem. In June, 2013 the prime minister stopped issuing firearm licences and ordered the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to investigate whether the previous federal government issued 35,000 permits to applicants who shouldn't have been approved.

The impact of weaponisation and violence on the overall societal growth and human security of Pakistani society is extremely negative. It is not an easy task to stop either arms production or arms proliferation, but the solution lies within providing reliable means of earning income to these illegal manufacturers, proliferators and such promoters in order to put an end to extensive and harmful smuggling nationwide. Internal conflicts, disputes, disparities and deprivation must also be addressed and resolved. Attaining a certain level of education and civic sense, and ensuring a good standard of living for the citizens of the state can accomplish this change in priorities.

(Sanchita Bhattacharya is Research Associate with Institute for Conflict Management. She can be contacted at southasiamonitor1@gmail.com)

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