Supreme Court of Pakistan
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday observed that the proliferation of drugs and weapons has “destroyed” Pakistan and issued notices seeking details of the number of licenses issued for prohibited weapons nationwide.
Hearing a bail plea of a petitioner accused of robbing a citizen’s home, including their weapons, the top judge—heading a three-member bench also comprising Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali—directed the interior ministry, home departments and law enforcers to provide information on the ease in availability of various types of guns. “How many licenses of prohibited weapons were issued across the country?” he asked.
Stressing on the need to eliminate “Kalashnikov culture” from the country, he remarked that no other country in the world sees people “carrying Kalashnikovs in big cars with tinted glasses.” He noted that he, too, had once been offered to buy a Kalashnikov license.
During the hearing, the CJP lamented the police had not bothered to demand a license from the person whose weapons were stolen. “The owner himself is confessing that two Kalashnikovs, a pistol and other valuables were stolen,” he said and asked the petitioner where he had obtained his Kalashnikov.
“We will write to the interior secretary to return all Kalashnikovs and their licenses,” he remarked, and slammed the unregulated provision of weapons licenses. He questioned how a common citizen could tell whether a person wielding a Kalashnikov was a terrorist or someone else.
“If we go to schools or markets, we see people standing carrying Kalashnikovs. If they are scared, then they should remain in their houses. They come out [of their houses] to scare people and show off their influence,” the top judge noted.
The court then accepted the petitioner’s plea, granting him post-arrest bail against surety bonds of Rs. 50,000.