DHA Karachi offers a number of excellent facilities and services to its residents. Sadly, the environment has been tainted by hundreds of its residents, who now move around blatantly, displaying weapons and armed goons. With tents pitched in every street, occupied by armed loyalists, DHA looks more like an active war zone and less like a decent housing society.
Can DHA take the following steps to become the first model gun-free society in Pakistan. They can declare DHA as a weapon-free zone. Place newspaper / TV ads as well as large banners at prominent locations to declare that, DHA is a weapon-free zone. Carrying and displaying of weapons is strictly prohibited. This includes vehicles carrying armed guards displaying their weapons. Just as DHA has a rule not to use residential areas for commercial purposes (in order to maintain peaceful environments), likewise DHA could also have a rule to prohibit display, carrying and use of weapons.
Declare that any firing from any house on any occasion (new year / marriages / cricket matches etc) would be considered a violation of DHA rules and the resident would run the risk of cancellation of lease to the said property. Residents should be asked to remove all tents, road blocks, barriers and armed guards sitting outside their gates within two weeks. Residents who do not comply will be heavily fined.
All DHA properties, parks, libraries, offices etc must be declared weapon free zones and they should display large banners to this effect. All transfer and purchase of homes or plots must include an affidavit by the purchaser that he and his family will abide by the gun control rules of DHA. DHA can beef-up its own guards and ensure that the locality is safe for the residents making keeping firearms and personal guards useless and a waste of money.
NAEEM SADIQ,
Karachi, April 20.