Activists in Lahore support conventional weapons reduction
Members of the Centre for Social Justice discussed the dangers of weapons proliferation. Pakistan was the tenth largest arms importer in the world in 2015. The "Kalashnikov culture" developed in the 1980s. In local textbooks, “army men are our only heroes.” Church security depends on youth-led security teams.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Activists are holding public gatherings in support of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statement calling for curtailing automatic weapons in the country.
In a press release issued on 31 August, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) “urged the government to adopt a comprehensive policy for the demilitarization of society” as stated by the new prime minister in first speech to the National Assembly after taking the oath of office on 1 August.
For Mr Abbasi, only police and the Armed Forces should be in possession of such weapons and the federal government will seize all automatic weapons, compensating people in return.
He also set up a committee to collate the proposals of cabinet members after members of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, worst hit by the suicide bombings, opposed the ban on automatic weapons.
“We support his efforts for peace building and non-violence. This is a new beginning, a paradigm shift,” said Peter Jacob, a Catholic who is CSJ executive director.
For the activist, who spoke at the seminar in Lahore attended by lawyers, NGO workers and politicians, “The free licensing of automatic weapons for citizens and the spread of illicit weapons have had serious repercussions on law and order.”
This has led to the “proliferation of violent crimes and the brutalisation of society, particularly violence against the weaker sections of society, including women, children, religious minorities and whosoever is considered other or a stranger.”
Other speakers at the meeting expressed grave concerns about gun-related crimes, gun smuggling, the sale of weapons and the promotion of a war mind-set. The CSJ plans similar gatherings in other cities later this month.
Pakistan has been ravaged by terrorism for years. At the same time, the country is not signatory to 2014 Arms Trade Treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons.
The nuclear power was the tenth largest arms importer in the world in 2015 with Serbia and China as the top countries weapons suppliers.
The weapons that are smuggled into the cities mainly come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, provinces bordering Afghanistan.
According to media reports, more than 352,000 Pakistanis possessed licenses to carry weapons as of June 2016.
Farooq Tariq, a Muslim and secretary general of the Labour Party of Pakistan claims that the “culture of Kalashnikov (rifles)” emerged after Islamiation of the legal system under military ruler Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s.
“[O]ur textbooks glorify wars, [and] army men are our only heroes. Toys guns are the most popular among male kids. The Islamic term of Jihad is exaggerated.,” Tariq told AsiaNews.
“Each of our lawmakers possess at least 20 weapon licenses. Guns are synonymous with election campaigns; they have become a symbol of courage and masculinity. All this has damaged our moral and social fibre”.
In his view, “The federal and provincial governments must initiate dialogue to limit arms and ammunition as well as develop a road map for peace building in society to contribute to economic development and democratic stability.”
After the 2014 Taliban massacre of 134 children at the Army Public School in Peshawar, minority places of worship and important buildings were fortified with barb wires, barricades, higher walls and security cameras.
Youth-led security teams, armed with weapons, have now become an essential feature of the country’s churches.
Media reports say more than 60,000 people (including 21,895 civilians) have died in terrorist violence in the country since 2003.
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