The Last Pit
October 5, 2025

Mr. Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister of Pakistan,
Dear Sir,
An appeal for peace and de-weaponisation
Warm greetings.
1. For the past two decades, ‘Citizens Against Weapons’ has stood for a peaceful, progressive, and weapon-free Pakistan. We envision a nation where people live secure, lawful, and purposeful lives – not one held hostage by armed individuals and private militias that thrive on violence and lawlessness.
2. It is the foremost duty of the state to safeguard the lives and property of all its citizens. This obligation cannot be outsourced to gun-wielding individuals, militias, or private security agencies. Pakistan is now believed to host more than 500 private armies, while civilian-owned firearms have surged from 18 million in 2007 to 43 million in 2017. The unchecked spread of automatic weapons, mortars, rocket launchers, and even anti-aircraft guns has rendered our police both helpless and reluctant to confront riverine dacoits, tribal militants, and urban gangs.
3. Our repeated calls and appeals to implement a well-planned, nation-wide deweaponisation programme always fell on disinterested ears. On the contrary, the government consistently acted in various unfortunate ways to aggressively promote and proliferate weapons and private militias in Pakistan. These steps were:
a. Issuing about 70 thousand prohibited-bore gun licenses to the parliamentarians.
b. Lifting ban (in December 2018) on issuance of non-prohibited bore arms licenses.
c. Issuing an SRO (August 2019) allowing the President, the PM, Chairman Senate, Speaker NA, Governors, CMs, Ministers, judges and senior bureaucrats to obtain Prohibited Bore arms licenses.
d. Not to be left behind, The Sindh Government, with effect from August 01, 2024, lifted the ban on issuance of arms licenses across the province.
4. As ‘Citizens Against Weapons’, we wholeheartedly welcome the following long-overdue and much-needed measures announced by the Punjab government on 17 October 2025 to curb firearms and the associated militancy.
a. An immediate ban on the issuance of new arms licences across Punjab.
b. One month deadline for surrender of illegal weapons.
c. One month’s notice to register all legal firearms at the nearest Khidmat Markaz (Service Centre).
d. Possession of illegal firearms made non-bailable offence – subject to up to 14 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 2 million.
5. We believe the measures announced by the Punjab Government are significant but not adequate. As ‘Citizens Against Weapons’, we therefore emphatically appeal to the Federation and the Provinces to implement the following nation-wide de-weaponisation measures:
a. Possession of arms must be declared as the exclusive domain of the State and no citizen, regardless of his/her position or status, must be allowed to possess, carry or display any weapon of any kind – licensed or otherwise.
b. In compliance with Article 256 of the Constitution, all private armies regardless of their size or patrons, be completely disbanded. The state must firmly act to eliminate all such armed gangs.
c. Place a complete ban on issuance of all weapon licenses for all categories of weapons in all territories of Pakistan.
d. Declare a widely advertised 4-weeks deadline for surrender of all illegal weapons. This must be backed up by intelligence-based raids for those who may not do so.
e. Government’s license issuance records being largely inadequate and incorrect, initiate a program for registration of all licensed weapons in government designated offices within the next 4 weeks.
f. Initiate and promote a buy-back scheme for all licensed weapons. All weapons surrendered or bought-back must be recorded on a national weapons database.
g. All quotas / entitlements for gun licenses for Parliamentarians, ministers and different government functionaries be cancelled forthwith.
h. Carriage or display of weapons (except for law enforcing agencies) be completely banned.
i. Unacceptably severe penalties and consequences be announced and implemented for all violators.
6. Numerous countries like Japan, Australia, UK, Vietnam, South Korea, North Korea, Malaysia and Singapore have taken drastic steps to eliminate weapons held by civilians. Their laws prohibit any gun licenses for self-defence purposes. Pakistan, on the contrary leveraged gun licenses as an instrument of bribe and appeasement for anyone who was rich, influential, related or a party affiliate. Sadly, despite being the largest victims of burgeoning violence and militancy, we failed to act in any cohesive, thoughtful or rational manner.
7. The rich and the powerful are either disproportionately well protected by the state or have private armies of their own. This must end. The state, crippled by its own indulgence in a ‘guns-for-all’ policy, must finally choose peace over peril. Here is yet another opportunity – to deweaponise, to heal, and to build a safer and more equal society.
Respectfully,
Our appeal is endorsed by the following organisations and individuals:
ORGANISATIONS
Centre for Social Justice
Research, Advocacy, Human Rights
Citizens’ Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CCEHR)
HRCP Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
PILER Labour & Education Research
Shehri – CBE Citizens for a better Environment
Shirkat Gah Womens’ Resource Centre
The Helpline Trust Consumer Protection
Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group
Pakistan Medical Association (PMA),
Children’s Literature Festival (CLF)
National Organisation for Working Communities (NOW)
CITIZENS
Abdual Sattar Edhi (Late), Humanitarian
Adeeb ul Hasan Rizvi SIUT
Ahsan Jamil Aman Foundation
Aamer Ali Sharief Citizen
Akhtar Quddus HSE Consultant
Amber Alibhai Shehri – CBE Karachi
Ameen Bandukda Barrister at Law
Ahmed Fraz Entrepreneur
Ahsan Rajput Lawyer
Amra Alam Writer
Aqueel Haji Entrepreneur
Aquila Islam Educationist
Arif Belgaumi Architect
Arshad Anis Entrepreneur
Arshad Siraj Air Cdre (R)
Asad Kizilbash Public Rights & Welfare Activist
Abbas Petiwala Citizen activist
Asima Ali Educationist
Ayesha Kuli Citizen activist
Aysha Habib Khan Educationist
Azeez Allawala Citizen, Activist
Badar Kazmi Banker
Baela Raza Jamil Educationist
Bernadette L. Dean Director VM Inst. Of Education
Bushy Sitwat Citizen activist
Dr. A.H.Nayyar Physicist
Dr. Aamir Jafaray Surgeon, Bioethicist
Dr. Abdullah Mangi Citizen
Dr. Altaf Ahmed Talpur Asso. Prof. Surgery
Dr. Asma Nasim Consultant Infectious Diseases SIUT
Dr. Azra Ahsan Gynecologist
Dr. Farhat Moazam Physician and Bioethicist
Dr. Ghazala Aziz Dermatologist
Dr. Habiba Hasan Paediatrician
Dr. Hashir Majid Physician, AKU
Dr. Iftikhar Salahuddin ENT Specialist
Dr. Kulsum Ghias Prof. AKU
Dr. Mahjabeen Islam Family Medicine
Dr. Mervyn Hosein Dentist
Dr. Mirza Naqi Zafar Prof. SIUT Karachi
Dr. Naila Baig-Ansari Epidemiologist, AKU
Dr. Narmeen Hamid Chairperson, ITA
Dr. Naseem Salahuddin Physician
Dr. Nasir Ahmad ENT Specialist
Dr. Robyna Khan Anaesthetist
Dr. Rukhsana Najm Dermatologist
Dr. Salamat Kamal Anaesthetist
Dr. Salma Badruddin Nutritionist
Dr. Shahkamal Hashmi Asstt.Prof. Health Policy Dow university
Dr. Shifa Naeem Psychiatrist
Dr. Sohail Thobani Pediatrician
Dr. Tasnim Ahsan Ex Dir, JPMC, Karachi
Dr.Riffat Moazam-Zaman Psychologist
Dr.Taimur Rehman Asstt. Prof. LUMS
Dr. Unaiza Niaz Psychiatrist
Ejaz R. Chaudhri Cdre.(R)
Fahim Siddiqui Engineer
Farah Afridi Designer
Farhana Mowjee Chartered Accountant, Industrialist
Farooq Dawood Capt. (PN) R
Farooq Nazmi Engineer
Farzana Amir Hashmi Tabba Heart Institute
Farzana T Mohsin Citizen activist
Hilda Saeed Chairperson Shirkat Gah
Humayun Huma Educationist
Idrees Hussain RMWO
Iftikhar H. Malik Prof. Bath Spa University
Imtiaz Hydari Chartered Accountant
Imran Ahad Banker
Isa Daudpota Educationist
Jamil Yusuf S.St. Chairman TPL Trakker Ltd.
Javed Jabbar Senator ( R)
Jehan Ara President P@SHA
Kaleem Saadat Air Chief Marshal (R)
Kalim Ilyas Advocate Supreme Court
Kamyla Marvi Human Rights Activist
Karamat Ali Executive (Late) Director, PILER
Kartar Dawani Physician
Khalid Mahmood CEO Getz Pharma
Khalid Rao Citizen
Mahera Omar Filmmaker, Co-Founder PAWS
Mahnaz Rahman Aurat Foundation
Majida Razvi Justice (R)
Maria Awan Citizen activist
Masood Lohar Urban Forest
Mirza Zafar Hussain Air Marshal (R)
Mohammad Ramzan CFA, EVP Muslim Commercial Bank
Muhammad Jamil Awan Entrepreneur
Mukhtar Ahmad Ali CPDI
Mukhtar Husain Architect
Munazza Siddiqui Journalist , TV producer
Mushtaq Soofi Poet, Writer
Muna Nana Citizen activist
Mushtaq K. Chhapra, The Citizens Foundation
Nadeem Khalid Entrepreneur
Naeem Sadiq Citizen
Naheed Shaukat Mirza Citizen activist
Nasim Beg CEO Arif Habib Consultancy
Nasira Iqbal Justice ( R)
Nazim F. Haji S.St. Founding member CPLC
Nighat Mir Trustee Citizens Trust Against Crime
Nusrat Vohra Citizen activist
Nuzhat Kidvai (Late)Activist, Member WAF
Pervez Ghias Citizen, Activist
Pervez Hoodbhoy Physicist, Activist
Peter Jacob Centre for Social Justice
Quresh Abdullah Citizen
Rashida Dohad Activist
Rehana Kamal Professor of Anaesthesia, AKU
Riaz Ahmed Professor, KU
Roland DeSouza Engineer, Human Right Activist
Romano Karim Citizen activist
Ronak de Fernex Doctor
Roohi Iqbal Educationist
Rumana Husain Author
Sabiha Imani Graphic Designer
Sabuha Khan Author
Sadaf Mateen Speech Pathologist
Sameeta Ahmed Architect
Sana Habib Artist
Sarah Zaman Director Prog. Shirkat Gah
Shabnam Abdullah Event Manager
Shahab Ghani Architect
Sheema Kermani Tehreek e Niswan, Performing Arts
Shehzad Roy Singer, Activist, Humanitarian
Shimaila Matri Dawood Editor, Publisher
Shumaila Javed Educationist
Sohail Bawani Community Health specialist
Sophia Hasnain Engineer, Activist
Syed Hussein El-Edroos Citizen
Syed Javed Qamar Engineer, Activist
Syed Naqvi Citizen
Tahira Abdullah Human Rights Activist
Tariq Yasin Citizen activist
Towfic Chinoy Businessman
Umar Inam Citizen
Uzma Mazhar Publisher, Theatre Actor
Uzma Noorani Activist
Veena Masud Citizen activist
Wasim Akram Pakistan’s ex Cricket Captain ,
Zaffar Khan Ex CEO Engro,
Zaheer Alam Kidvai, Citizen
Zahid Abdullah, Centre for Peace & development
Zehra Bano Rizvi Citizen, Activist,
Zulekha Soorma Citizen
Zohra Yusuf Chairperson HRCP
Zubair Habib Chief CPLC, Karachi
Zubeida Mustafa (Late), Journalist