Minister says current government has stricter policy and prohibited drilling permits are issued only to eligible people
Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, chairs a meeting of the committee at Parliament House, Islamabad on January 27, 2026. Photo:
The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday directed authorities to take action against arms licenses issued to non-tax filers, while also discussing a series of law and order issues, particularly in the riverine areas of Sindh and Punjab.
The meeting was held at Parliament under the chairmanship of Senator Faisal Saleem and members were briefed about the issuance of arms licenses.
Members were informed that 2,962 non-filers and 189 registrants obtained gun licenses in 2024, while the following year, 2,696 non-filers and 848 registrants obtained licenses.
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Questioning the rationale for issuing licenses to non-filers, the committee chairman ordered that these licenses be cancelled.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry informed the committee that in previous periods arms licenses were issued in large numbers but the current government had adopted a stricter policy with licenses for banned arms now being issued only to eligible persons.
He requested that the licenses of non-filers not be canceled immediately and that they be given time to become filers.
After deliberations, the committee decided that notices should be issued to all non-declaring license holders, granting them time to regularize their tax status, failing which their licenses would be cancelled.
The commission also discussed the law and order situation, especially in the riverine area. Senator Talha Mahmood raised concerns over the failure to control dacoits, saying two individuals from his constituency were kidnapped and later released after payment of ransom.
Responding to these concerns, Sindh Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said operations were underway to eliminate criminals, adding that seven senior superintendents of police were involved in these efforts. He said the area fell along the Sindh-Punjab border and claimed that no such incident had taken place there in the last six months due to police action.
Following a question from Senator Dinesh Kumar regarding the abduction of Hindu girl Priya Kumari in Badin, the committee sought an explanation for the delay in her recovery. The Sindh police chief informed the committee that the girl was abducted from Sukkur on August 19, 2021.
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He said investigations had involved more than 1,000 people, including nomadic groups, and AI-generated images had been circulating. Help from the Punjab Police and the Federal Investigation Agency has also been sought, he added, noting that the kidnappers were suspected of having handed over the girl to dacoits operating in the riverine area.
The issue of police misconduct was also addressed. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri has sought an update on the Jacobabad incident involving gang rape of a minor girl by policemen.
Memon said a case has been registered against all those involved, including the station house officer (SHO). He said the SHO was not present at the police station at the time of the incident and four policemen raped a minor girl from a family in police custody, repeatedly entering the room wearing masks.
He said these officials had no right to remain in the police force and legal action was underway.
Senator Zehri said she did not feel safe in a country where police officers could rape a minor while in detention.
Chaudhry informed the committee that a major operation was underway in the riverine area and added that Memon was making serious efforts against the dacoits. He said law and order problems existed everywhere and claimed that Lahore was safer than London and New York.
In response, Senator Samina Mumtaz said only 2% of criminals were convicted in Pakistan. She added that immediate action had been taken against rape in London and wondered how such cases were handled in the country.
Commenting on the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, the Minister of State stressed that the four provinces should be asked how they had used the funds received under the NFC award to improve law and order, calling for an audit of these funds.
He said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had received Rs5,000 billion under the NFC award, along with another Rs800 billion for security, and questioned how these funds were utilized while reiterating that after the 18th Amendment, security was a provincial issue.
Senator Umar Farooq said terrorism-related challenges were being faced in KP and Balochistan and urged that these provinces should be treated at par with others. The minister said a comprehensive policy was in the works, but stressed that provinces should also be compared in terms of security initiatives.
