IANSA members in Pakistan have called for the elections on 18 February to be gun-free and for the police to act with restraint. At least 47 people have been killed since the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on 27 December.
Ms. Bhutto was killed as her convoy was leaving a rally in Rawalpindi. An assassin opened fire on her car and she suffered a fatal injury to her head. 20 other people killed from a suicide bombing at the same time.
IANSA member Pax Christi International called for network members to write a letter of concern to the Ambassador to Pakistan in their country, expressing solidarity and pledging support for human rights and democracy.
There are an estimated 20 million guns in Pakistan, which has a population of 140 million. This translates as 1 gun for every 7 people. IANSA member Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) issued a report on gun proliferation in Pakistan in 2004. They attributed the high level of gun proliferation to the unregulated cottage industry in the Darra region of the North-Western Frontier Province and a large number of guns remaining in circulation from the Soviet-Afghan war.
The CAMP report also highlighted increasingly liberal licensing for gun ownership since 1984, which led to a relaxation of police verification and inspections on gun dealers.
Small arms in Pakistan - report by CAMP (Warning: 2MB) |
