glomex
BANNED
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2009
- Messages
- 610
- Reaction score
- 0
The ministry of interior has been rocked by a scandal about thousands of licences of weapons of prohibited bore, including sub-machine guns, having been issued in an irregular manner and in violation of rules.
Although three employees of the ministry have been arrested, investigators looking into the matter are unable to determine the number of such weapons acquired by unknown people.
The Federal Investigation Agency discovered during an investigation ordered by the prime minister that fake bank receipts, forged signatures and fictitious stamps were used by several middle-ranking and junior officers of the ministry to issue such licences.
Part of the official record is missing, making it impossible for the investigators to determine how many such licences had been issued and to whom.
The information was provided to the National Assemblys Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday.
The FIA has found three section officers involved in the scam Ali Abdullah Khalid, Dr Akhtar Ali Hakro and Malik Iftikhar. The committee was informed that interior ministry had issued 28,527 licences for weapons of prohibited bore from March 28, 2008, to June 26, 2009, and 6,000 of them were approved by Minister of State for Interior Tasneem Qureshi in May and June this year.
The number of such licences may be higher because most of the record is missing. The government is trying to ascertain the number of licences issued in violation of rules.
In a major breach of official procedure, a server provided by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to check the identity of applicants was replaced by one sent by a private vendor, the investigators said.
They said that officials did not maintain record in order to conceal the number of licences issued and the identity of those who acquired prohibited lethal arms.
Pages from the Arms Endorsement Register were removed and the investigators found it difficult to ascertain how many applications had been processed without approval by the competent authority.
Only Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is authorised to issue licences of prohibited bore but he delegated the power to the minister of state on April 4 this year.
After receiving complaints from various quarters, including parliamentarians, about licences of prohibited weapons being issued without meeting the required formalities, the prime minister ordered the ministry on June 26 to stop issuing the permits and asked the standing committee to look into the matter.
The committee, according to its chairman Abdul Qadir Patel, was not satisfied with the pace and outcome of the inquiry. He said the committee had called for action to bring the culprits to book.
He said the committee had asked the ministry to explain why such a large number of permits had been issued after approval by the minister of state in just two months.
He said the committee had also asked the ministry to see if the number of licences issued tallied with the number approved.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Arms licences scam shakes interior ministry
Although three employees of the ministry have been arrested, investigators looking into the matter are unable to determine the number of such weapons acquired by unknown people.
The Federal Investigation Agency discovered during an investigation ordered by the prime minister that fake bank receipts, forged signatures and fictitious stamps were used by several middle-ranking and junior officers of the ministry to issue such licences.
Part of the official record is missing, making it impossible for the investigators to determine how many such licences had been issued and to whom.
The information was provided to the National Assemblys Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday.
The FIA has found three section officers involved in the scam Ali Abdullah Khalid, Dr Akhtar Ali Hakro and Malik Iftikhar. The committee was informed that interior ministry had issued 28,527 licences for weapons of prohibited bore from March 28, 2008, to June 26, 2009, and 6,000 of them were approved by Minister of State for Interior Tasneem Qureshi in May and June this year.
The number of such licences may be higher because most of the record is missing. The government is trying to ascertain the number of licences issued in violation of rules.
In a major breach of official procedure, a server provided by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to check the identity of applicants was replaced by one sent by a private vendor, the investigators said.
They said that officials did not maintain record in order to conceal the number of licences issued and the identity of those who acquired prohibited lethal arms.
Pages from the Arms Endorsement Register were removed and the investigators found it difficult to ascertain how many applications had been processed without approval by the competent authority.
Only Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is authorised to issue licences of prohibited bore but he delegated the power to the minister of state on April 4 this year.
After receiving complaints from various quarters, including parliamentarians, about licences of prohibited weapons being issued without meeting the required formalities, the prime minister ordered the ministry on June 26 to stop issuing the permits and asked the standing committee to look into the matter.
The committee, according to its chairman Abdul Qadir Patel, was not satisfied with the pace and outcome of the inquiry. He said the committee had called for action to bring the culprits to book.
He said the committee had asked the ministry to explain why such a large number of permits had been issued after approval by the minister of state in just two months.
He said the committee had also asked the ministry to see if the number of licences issued tallied with the number approved.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Arms licences scam shakes interior ministry
