پاکستان میں غیرقانونی اسلحے کا ’راج‘

ہارون رشید

بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد

آخری وقت اشاعت:  ہفتہ 17 اگست 2013 ,‭ 22:12 GMT 03:12 PST

ایک اندازے کے مطابق پاکستان میں اس وقت دو کروڑ سے زائد غیر قانونی ہتھیار موجود ہیں

وفاقی دارالحکومت اسلام آباد میں سکندر نامی شخص کی جانب سے دن دھاڑے دو بندوقیں پانچ گھنٹوں تک لہرانا ملک میں غیرقانونی اسلحے کی جانب ایک مرتبہ پھر توجہ دلانے کے لیے کافی تھا۔

تھوڑے تھوڑے وقفے سے یہ شخص اس ہتھیار سے لائیو کیمروں کے سامنے گولیاں چلا کر اپنی دہشت قائم کرنے کی کوشش کرتا رہا۔ کیا ان کلاشنکوفوں کے بغیر وہ ایسا کر سکتا تھا؟

اسلام آباد کی پولیس ان کلاشنکوفوں کا اتا پتہ لگانے کی کوشش کر رہی ہے لیکن اب تک کی تحقیق اور نادرا کے ریکارڈ میں ان مہلک ہتھیاروں کا کوئی سراغ نہیں ملا ہے۔

غالب قیاس یہی ہے کہ یہ دو آٹومیٹک ہتھیار بھی ملک میں پائے جانے والے ایک اندازے کے مطابق اس وقت ان دو کروڑ سے زائد غیر قانونی ہتھیاروں میں سے ہیں جن کی ترسیل اور دستیابی ختم کرنے کی تمام کوششیں آج تک بےسود ثابت ہوئی ہیں۔

رواں سال کے پہلے چھ ماہ میں چاروں صوبوں کی پولیس تقریباً پچیس ہزار غیر قانونی ہتھیار قبضے میں لینے میں کامیاب ہو سکی۔

سرکاری اعداوشمار کے مطابق سب سے زیادہ تعداد میں غیر قانونی اسلحہ آبادی کے اعتبار سے سب سے بڑے صوبے پنجاب میں ضبط کیا گیا۔ جنوری سے جون دو ہزار بارہ کے درمیان ساڑھے تیئس ہزار افراد غیرقانونی اسلحہ رکھنے کے الزام میں گرفتار کیے گئے جن سے اٹھارہ ہزار سے زائد ہتھیار برآمد کیے گئے جن میں پانچ سو کلاشنکوفیں، سترہ ہزار سے زائد پستول اور پانچ ہزار سے زائد بندوقیں شامل ہیں۔

سرکاری ریکارڈ کے مطابق اس فہرست میں دوسرے نمبر پر حیران کن طور پر وفاقی دارالحکومت اسلام آباد آتا ہے۔ یہاں اس عرصے کے دوران بیس بلا لائسنس کلاشنکوفیں اور تقریباً پانچ سو پستول پکڑے گئے۔ اس کی وجہ دیگر صوبوں کے مقابلے میں اسلام آباد میں جرائم کا درست ریکارڈ رکھا جانا بتایا جاتا ہے۔

اسلحے کے لائسنس

پیپلز پارٹی کی سابق حکومت نے سرکاری اعداوشمار کے مطابق سال دو ہزار نو سے مارچ دو ہزار تیرہ تک تقریبا ڈیڑھ لاکھ اسلحہ لائسنس جاری کیے جن میں سب سے زیادہ دو ہزار نو میں تقریبا ساٹھ ہزار لائسنس دیے گئے۔

شدت پسندی سے متاثرہ خیبر پختونخوا میں اس سال کے ابتدائی سات ماہ میں محض اکیس غیرقانونی کلاشنکوفیں، تقریبا اڑھائی سو پستول اور پندرہ بندوقیں ضبط ہو سکیں۔ افغانستان سرحد پر واقع خیبر پختونخوا اور بلوچستان میں سرحد پار سے غیرقانونی اسلحہ ایسے لایا جاتا ہے جیسے بغیر کسی ٹیکس و ڈیوٹی کے فروٹ۔

لیکن قومی اسمبلی میں جمعے کو اس بابت جو معلومات فراہم کی گئی ان میں سب سے زیادہ حیران کن بات صوبہ سندھ کی پولیس کا کسی علاقے سے غیرقانونی اسلحہ نہ پکڑے جانے کی اطلاع تھی یعنی اس صوبے میں یا تو سارا اسلحہ قانونی ہے یا پھر پولیس کی آنکھوں سے مسلسل اوجھل ہے۔

ماہرین کا ماننا ہے کہ یہ ضبطگیاں آٹے میں نمک کے برابر ہیں اور ملک میں جس تعداد میں اسلحہ پھیلا ہوا ہے اس کے مقابلے میں یہ کچھ نہیں۔

دوسری جانب حکومتوں کی جانب سے ریوڑیوں کی طرح اسلحے کے لائسنس جاری کیے جانے سے بھی اسلحے کی فراوانی کا مسئلہ مزید سنگین صورت اختیار کر لیتا ہے۔ پیپلز پارٹی کی سابق حکومت نے سرکاری اعداوشمار کے مطابق سال دو ہزار نو سے مارچ دو ہزار تیرہ تک تقریبا ڈیڑھ لاکھ اسلحہ لائسنس جاری کیے جن میں سب سے زیادہ دو ہزار نو میں تقریبا ساٹھ ہزار لائسنس تھے۔

اب جبکہ نواز شریف حکومت کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ ملک میں شدت پسندی کے خاتمے کے لیے ایک جامع پالیسی کی تیاری میں مصروف ہے، امید کی جا سکتی ہے کہ غیر قانونی اسلحہ کی باآسانی دستیابی پر بھی اس پالیسی میں تفصیلی توجہ دی جائے گی اور ٹھوس اقدامات اٹھائے جائیں گے۔

• • موبائل سائٹ
  • استعمال کے ضوابط
  • بی بی سی کے بارے میں
• • بی بی سی پر اشتہار دیجئیے
  • پرائویسی پالیسی
  • رسائی میں مدد
• • بی بی سی سے رابطہ کریں

BBC © 201

3

Media circus in Islamabad

Role of TV channels in Pakistan stand-off questioned

The BBC's Haroon Rashid in the Pakistani capital Islamabad says that saturation live TV coverage of a five-hour stand-off between police and a gunman in the city reflects both a bitterly fought ratings battle and doubts about the benefits of 24-hour news.

For many television channels, the drama presented a golden opportunity.

A gunman, making a series of incoherent demands and wielding two automatic weapons in the centre of the city, was dramatically arrested after a politician intervened to disarm him.

Both the gunman and his wife received injuries, but neither is thought to be seriously injured.

What has become known as the Thursday Evening Thriller was covered by dozens of news channels.

One news channel's presenter described the armed man, who was accompanied throughout the stand-off by his wife and two children, as "holding Islamabad hostage for over five hours".

But the truth was a little more prosaic. He was holed up in the city's business district, miles away from the most sensitive government buildings or prominent officials.

'Painstaking'

In addition, only a few hundred metres of one of Islamabad's main roads were affected. Although security was tight around this area, most of Islamabad's two million residents went about their business as normal.

Many believe that the non-stop television coverage made the police reluctant to step in sooner and take action against the gunman, identified as Muhammad Sikandar, from Punjab province.

Many Islamabad residents believe that had the armed impasse not been under the gaze of the cameras, it would have ended much sooner - within minutes, not hours.

"If it had been left to the local police they would have taught the gunman a lesson in no time," commented one resident. "But in front of live cameras, they did not wish to do much except adopt a painstaking wait-and-see policy."

In addition, there are other questions which have been asked about the wall-to-wall coverage.

When senior policemen asked reporters several times to stand back so that the commandos could at least a secure a 300m (980ft) radius around Mr Sikandar, many journalists flatly refused.

That is why throughout the stand-off it was possible to see hundreds of people and reporters behind Mr Sikandar.

It was fortunate under these circumstances that the unilateral decision by Pakistan People's Party politician Zamurad Khan to end the impasse did not go badly wrong.

His split-second decision to jump on the armed man in front of the cameras was hardly the best formulated of plans and could have cost him and the various onlookers their lives.

Police say that he acted on his own and ignored their advice not to go near the gunman. But it seems that killing people was thankfully not Mr Sikandar's intention.

He had enough time to shoot Mr Khan and numerous others, but did not.

In the event it turned out to be Mr Khan's lucky day - he is being hailed as a national hero by the same media channels whose personnel were so endangered by his actions.

Then there was the overall tone of the TV channels' reporting of the stand-off, which in many cases was voyeuristic in the extreme. At one point pictures were broadcast of Mr Sikandar urinating.

Critics on Twitter have argued that the media circus made it much harder for an adrenalin-filled gunman to surrender peacefully. Off camera he might have been easily persuaded to lay down his arms.

In the aftermath of the stand-off, many local residents believe the police should have been much more forceful with the media.

But since all ended well, the news channels can hold their breath in anticipation of the next breaking story

What shall I do?

The more I become a manager the more I am losing the urge to write. Until a couple of years back, writing a piece was a piece of cake, but not anymore. Getting to sit down a write an article seems so difficult now. Be it politics or my all-time favorite militancy, taking a position on a new development was not difficult, but not anymore. Maybe its because so much is being said and written about in the Pakistani media, that finding to write something new a different is almost impossible. How to find my rhythm back, or more important how to get my voice back? Let me know what you think?    

Indo-Pak deadlock?

US secretary of state Ms Condoleza Rice came to Islamabad on a five-hour short trip to Islamabad and told Pakistan ‘to act’. Her deputy John D. Negroponte came a few days later to make sure Pakistan acts responsibly to UN Security Council decision to ban Jamat Dawa and Lashkar Taiba.

Pakistan is no doubt in a fix, a difficult position. On the one hand the government is crying under tremendous international pressure to act against suspected militants and on the other domestic political pressures prevent it from going too hard on these elements until and unless it is armed with solid evidence.

The PPP government is therefore trying to achieve a tricky balance. While cracking down on these outfits and detaining its leaders as part of its international obligation, it is fallen well short of officially proscribing these organizations. There is no word on it.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi has again in a policy statement called for evidence from India. However, the foreign minister pointed that despite requests, no evidence or information has been shared with the government by India so far. His message also contained a veiled warning; ‘our own investigations cannot proceed beyond a certain point without provision of credible information and evidence…’So these seizures and detentions are more of ‘precautionary’ measures then anything else. Until and unless India shares evidence, Pakistan has made it clear it can’t proceed much further.

In Delhi, however, India has shown little willingness to accept Pakistan’s demand. Instead, India has sought custody of 40 suspects. The deadlock is quite visible.

Saving Some Money

Every year we cry foul over rising prices of sacrifical animals. This year is no exception. But what has to be done has to be. People have to think of clever ways of saving some money. The picture is of a man in Peshawar who managed to somehow buy an animal but tried to save the transport charges by tieing the poor animal behind his vehicle. How did you all saved money this Eid?

You done it again! Pakistan

Pakistan has once again been made to come hard against suspected militants. This is not the first time. Big, dramatic and disasterous events outside the country have in the past too forced the governments to arrest some suspects, only to quietly release them later, bolstering critics who claim Islamabad is not serious about fighting extremists.

Now Pakistani Prime Minister has confirmed arrest of Zarar Shah and Zaki Lakhvi. They are accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai attacks that killed over 180 people. But my question is why such arrests have to materialise only when something bad, in fact in this case very bad has happened. Why can't we keep our own house in order? Why we have to act only when international pressure becomes unbearable or the threat of a war is dangerously close to reality?

While claiming to have launched its own investigations into the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan has asked India to provide hard eveidence against these suspects. Well if you don't have hard evidence then on which basis are you going after them and arresting them? Have you found an eveidence against them on your own. If that's true then you need to proceed against them without waiting for the Indian reply.

The Pakistani leadership has swung into action after initially denying the attacks had anything to do with Pakistan. Both the president and the prime minister have made it clear they would not hand them over these suspects to India and bring them to justice inside the country. Well, if we have examples of Khalid Shiekh Mohammad and Aimal Kansi, on what ground can we deny the same facility to India. Many believe this can change too if the Indians are clever enough to play their cards well.