The proliferation of small arms and light weapons is one of the major security challenges currently faced by South Asia and Pakistan in particular. The trafficking and varied availability of these weapons fuel communal conflict, political instability and pose a threat, not only to security, but also to viable development. According to the Red Cross, one out of every two casualties in a war is a civilian stuck in the crossfire. The easy use and light weight of small weapons have made the job of combatants easy, convincing even children to become militants. The widespread proliferation of small arms is contributing to alarming levels of armed conflicts and insurgencies. Pakistan is among those countries in which every passing year witnesses an increase in the proliferation of small arms.

There are a number of reasons that help in the acceleration of small arms proliferation. The severe proliferation of small arms began after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Jihadis were trained in Pakistan during the Cold War against the Soviets and were equipped with small arms provided by the US. According to reports, in addition to the cross-border flow of weapons, an estimated 30 percent of the weapons funneled by US and Pakistani intelligence to the Afghan resistance were diverted for other purposes. The ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Kashmir continue to result in the proliferation of small arms. After Soviet forces left Afghanistan, the same jihadis entered Pakistan with the available small arms.

An unknown quantity of weapons, likely in the thousands, was diverted into the hands of Pakistani dealers and have today ended up in border arms bazaars, supplying militant sectarian groups, terrorists, drug cartels, criminals and those seeking protection from such groups. Although the Afghan situation exacerbated the small arms problem, a ‘gun culture’ has long existed in the northern frontier and the adjacent tribal areas. Therefore, in addition to the enduring weapons from the Cold War, areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have a long history of craft production of weapons. For example, gunsmiths in Darra Adam Khel, located just south of Peshawar, are thought to produce between 500 and 1,000 firearms daily. Darra is also home to the largest illegal gun market in Pakistan. A 2003 survey by SPADO found there were 1,200 shops selling guns in Darra Adam Khel alone. These were supplied by nearly 1,500 small workshops and more than 50 medium-scale manufacturing units employing over 6,000 gunsmiths. While some arms workshops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are registered with the government, the infamous industry in FATA, including the main hubs of Darra Adam Khel, Bara and Jamrud, are unregistered.

Disputes in the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab are perpetrated by the abundance of cheaply available firearms. Pakistan, according to anti-arms campaigners, has one of the greatest per capita rates of gun ownership in the world. Though there are no official figures, rough estimates put the total number of small arms at large in the country at more than 20 million, with about half of them illegal. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone is believed to have nearly half a million illegitimate small arms and light weapons. Gunsmith work was effectively a cottage industry with marginal profits but was transformed during the Soviet invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan. When demand for weapons from mujahideen groups soared, it flourished accordingly. The weapons — everything from a pen that doubles as a pistol to a copy of an AK-47, or even an anti-aircraft gun — are made by hand, but carry no serial numbers and are often of poor quality.

Directly, the most affected province by the growing availability of these weapons has been the province of Sindh, particularly its state capital of Karachi. Though the problems in Sindh have been more political than ideological, much division occurs along ethnic lines. Throughout the 1980s, the levels of violence in Karachi reached unprecedented and shocking levels prior to the Pakistan army’s intervention in 1992. Although Sindh traces a streak of violence, several analysts from Karachi agree that dramatic increase in the violence and polarisation dates from 1985 to 1986, when weapons from the Afghan pipeline began to find their way into commercial channels. Small arms and light weapons are small and inconspicuous, making them easy to transport and conceal, even in large quantities.

Now, especially after the episode of 9/11, Balochistan is the most affected province. It was there that, during operations by the Pakistan military, small arms from different countries were found.

The impact of these factors on the overall societal growth and human security of Pakistani society is extremely negative. The rising sectarian, dogmatic orthodoxy coupled with easy access and unabated usage of firearms, besides instilling deep-rooted fears in the masses, brought Pakistan close to being labelled as a terrorist state. In terms of local production, the traditional arms producers of Darra Adam Khel should be provided with suitable alternatives to reduce weapons production. A police force free from political influence is also essential in stopping the proliferation of small arms and an independent police commission should be set up as a mediator between the police and the government. It is not an easy task to stop either small arms production or arms proliferation but the solution lies within providing reliable means of earning income to these illegal manufacturers, proliferators and such promoters in order to put an end to extensive and harmful smuggling nationwide. Internal conflicts, disputes, disparities and deprivation must also be addressed and resolved. The answer to the problem of small arms proliferation lies essentially in changing the individual attitudes and value systems of the members of society. Acquiring a level of education and civic sense, and ensuring a respectable standard of living for the citizens of the state can accomplish this change in priorities.

The writer is a freelance columnist