Curfew can be imposed to stop smuggling of illegal weapons

KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan heard the Karachi law and order case at its registry here on Thursday.

During proceedings, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that launchers and anti-aircraft guns were being recovered from shops in the city, while currency and narcotics were being smuggled in through launches.

The chief justice further remarked that weapons from Israel, NATO, India and US were being illegally sold in the market and inquired how many cases pertaining to smuggling had been solved. “A curfew can be imposed to stop the smuggling of illegal weapons into the city,” Chief Justice Chaudhry said.

Justice Khilji Arif remarked that weapons were being rented in the city and that the law was not only meant to be written in books.

The report of the Ramzan Bhatti commission which was formed to probe the smuggling of weapons via Karachi ports was also presented in court. According to the findings, the shortage of custom points was a major factor in the smuggling of weapons.

The counsel for the Maritime Security Agency also informed the apex court that the deep sea was patrolled by US Marines. In reply, Chief Justice Chaudhry remarked that the court was only interested in finding out how weapons were being smuggled into the city.

Earlier during proceedings, the Supreme Court sought a report from authorities over the failure to arrest the killers of Geo News correspondent Wali Khan Babar.