KARACHI: The cars pulling up on Beach Avenue and people, including children, gathering to meet up at one point on a pleasant Sunday morning had not arrived there for a fun picnic. They were there for a cause — to join hands for peace and a weapon-free society. Holding banners and placards demanding deweaponisation, they signed on and expressed their point of view on a big white banner carrying the message loud and clear.

The walkathon organised by the Citizens Against Weapons, comprising people representing various walks of life and civil society organisations, including Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Shehri-CBE, Citizens Police Liaison Committee, Shirkat Gah, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research and Tehreek-i-Niswan, was an educating experience for anyone who may associate weapons with power.

Participants in the walk demanded surrendering of all illegal weapons as an initial step towards complete deweaponisation and that all private militias and armies be eliminated as stipulated in Article 256 of the Constitution of Pakistan. The citizens stated that a complete deweaponisation was essential to building a tolerant and peaceful Pakistan.

“Of the 21 million weapons owned by people here, around 13 or 14 million are illegal weapons,” said Naeem Sadiq, the main organiser of the walk. “Possession of arms must be declared as the exclusive domain of the state and no citizen, regardless of his or her rank or status, must be allowed to possess, carry or display any weapon. No guns!” he said.

Writer, author and artist Romana Hussain, holding a red placard that read ‘Hathiar Nahi Pyaar’, pointed towards a worrisome statistic: “Do you know that Pakistan’s parliament is the most weaponised parliament in the world with 69,473 prohibited bore weapons?”

Rosamin Bhanpuri, a visitor from Chicago, United States, also among the peaceful protesters holding a yellow placard, echoing Abdul Sattar Edhi’s words ‘Aslaha Girao, Insaan Buno’, said that she with her community members in Niles Township in Chicago had similar issues. “We have been carrying out similar protests in our area in the US. A new shooting range and gun shop has opened in Niles Township and that, too, near the Niles West High School. Demanding a safer society, we have filed several lawsuits as well,” she said.

There were several doctors participating also. One of them, ex-director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Prof Tasmin Ahsan, was holding a very interesting poster of a chalk line left behind after removing a dead body from a crime scene. Inside it was inscribed ‘Dukhi Maaoan Ke Naam’, a portion of a verse by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

Also present was Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the JPMC’s emergency section. “I see the results of weapons in my emergency section on a daily basis. I have these anti-gun posters on my car and all over the JPMC. I want to see complete deweaponisation in this city,” she said.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2016