Over 3 million weapons ‘missing’ from official warehouses in Pak Punjab

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Punjab government’s report that 3.12 million sophisticated weapons, including hand-grenades, have gone missing from the official warehouses in the last 10 years is appalling, an editorial in a leading Pakistani newspaper has said.

According to the report, 3,454 grenades, 4,490 Kalashnikovs, 43,954 rifles and 66,695 guns were among the weapons gone missing.

The other armaments include revolvers, pistols, carbines, cartridges and sharp-edged weapons.

The editorial in Dawn said that the details were shocking and gives an idea of the layers of corruption in the law-enforcement structure in the country’s most populous province.

“The disappearances could also mean that Punjab warehouses are one of the terrorists’ major sources of arms - and not only in Punjab. The meticulous details in the report about the number of weapons deposited with the provincial warehouses show on the whole that some people in the provincial law-enforcement agencies and their overseers do after all care about their job,” the editorial said.

“That in spite of this record-keeping the weapons should disappear is indeed ironic. We expect the Punjab government to release the inquiry report, if and when it is ready, and hope this will prompt the other provinces to take stock of what they have and what they have not,” it added.

It also commended the Punjab Home Department for preparing the report. (ANI)