Gun Culture In Pakistan

BY PETER GILL: The display of arms has gone from being a feudal practice to an urban status symbol. Hence it is no surprise that politicians, the affluent and other elites in Karachi are moving about the metropolis with heavily armed guards in plain clothes.

Some of these gunmen are armed with sophisticated weapons that do not belong to the city streets. What is perhaps more disturbing is that the city’s police force appears to be reluctant to confront these individuals. The display of even licensed weapons by persons in plain clothes is not allowed under the law, unless approved by the home ministry.

Yet such permission is generally not thought necessary as policemen do not want to risk ‘offending’ the person being guarded. No one is above the law and when the country’s precarious security situation is considered, no one should feel offended when asked to provide identification or legal documents, especially keeping in mind the lethal weapons in question.

Nevertheless, the need for armed guards for politicians and public figures who need extra security is justified. Karachi’s total sanctioned police force is 29,000 officers, which is wholly inadequate to provide protection to its citizens, let alone special security cover for public figures. But politicians and lawmakers should set an example. Is it not possible for their gunmen to conceal their weapons especially in public? Here we must look at security arrangements for public figures in foreign countries.

Foreign security agents of various countries arguably do a much better job of protecting public figures than their Pakistani counterparts, and without brandishing heavy weapons in public. Discretion is the better part of valour.

The scourge of guns in this city cannot be eliminated without public figures taking the lead. Maintaining personal security is one thing. Illegally displaying weapons to establish one’s status in society is quite another.