KARACHI - The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday told the provincial government to devise a policy on issuance of licences for automatic weapons of prohibited and non-prohibited bores.

An SHC bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar issued the orders on the identical petitions of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, MPA Shabbir Bijarani and others, challenging the decision of previous federal government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to revoke licenses to carry sophisticated weapons of prohibited bore. The petition filed one year ago prayed that the notification of the Federal Interior Ministry in December 201 7 should be suspended after which SHC stayed the matter.

In today’s hearing, the SHC ruled that federal government lifted the ban on carrying the automatic weapons of prohibited bore and now Sindh government is entitled to issue and renew the licenses of weapon.

The petitioners' counsel had argued that the cancellation of the automatic weapons notification was a violation of provisions of Section 12 of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965.  Counsel also contended that his clients had not been given an opportunity of hearing, whereas after the 18th constitutional amendment, item No 17 in the concurrent legislative list pertaining to arms, firearms and ammunition now fell within the domain of the provinces. Therefore, the executive authority to administer the aforesaid law now vested in the respective provincial governments.

Counsel also stated that terrorism incidents had exposed the law and order situation in the province, therefore, the sudden withdrawal of federally-issued prohibited bore arms licences from the petitioners would expose them Ito threats to their lives, safety and wellbeing.

SHC's beach ordered that Sindh Government should devise the policy for issuing of license of sophisticated weapons and stated that it should be formulated in the light of Pakistan Arms Ordinance. Deputy Secretary Home assured the court that new policy would be clinked out in the light of Sindh Arms Rules and told that NADRA has established a counter in Home Department Sindh for verification of licenses of sophisticated weapons.