The federal government has decided to make training mandatory for issuance and renewal of arms licence. A two-day training will be required before obtaining an arms licence from the federal district administration or the Ministry of Interior. The training will be given to the aspirants at the shooting range of Islamabad police and arms licences will be issued upon its successful completion.
Meanwhile, a separate fee will be charged to the candidate for the training. Earlier in July, the Punjab caretaker government approved a 2,000 percent increase on all fees related to the issuance and renewal of individual and commercial firearm licences. Previously set at Rs10,000, the fee for new applicants will now stand at Rs50,000, while existing license holders will have to pay Rs5,000 for renewing their license, up from Rs1,000. Meanwhile, the fee for acquiring an “All Pakistan” license from Punjab’s Interior Department surged by a 2,000 percent, soaring from Rs5,000 to Rs100,000. Private institutions and security companies also faced a considerable fee hike, as their charges were elevated from Rs7,000 to Rs50,000.
