ISLAMABAD: The twin cities echoed with the sound of celebratory gunfire and fireworks as the clock struck midnight on Wednesday, an annual ritual that marks the advent of a new year.

However, this celebration turned into mourning for some families as two deaths were reported, a direct cause of firing in the air.

The firing also resulted in several gunshot wounds in Rawalpindi city.

Despite a social media campaign featuring civil society activists and warnings from the relevant authorities and the imposition of section 144 on firing into the air by the Islamabad deputy commissioner, celebratory firing continued over Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the first 10 to 15 minutes of 2020.

Gun owners continue to risk arrest and the safety of others on three occasions every year: New Year’s Eve, chand raat and Independence Day. But the authorities do not have a clear response when asked what leads people to firing into the air on festive occasions.

When asked, a senior official from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration said that firing into the air has been largely controlled in Islamabad and it is mostly young people from well-off families and individuals lacking in civil etiquette who engage in the practice.

Several people who were firing into the air on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday told Dawn they were only servicing their legal firearms.

“This policy of banning firing will fail. It will never be implemented completely,” said A, who lives in Satellite Town in Rawalpindi.

He added: “The only impact of strict checking by the police is that fewer bullets are fired, but we have to do it.”

Like him, many others also claimed that the bureaucrats had the ill-conceived notion that people with licensed firearms were involved in terrorism or criminal activity or that controlling legal weapons would help reduce crime and terrorism.

“The other issue that most security related input is given to government officerswho have the option to test and service their weapons. But where will ordinary citizens go,” A asked.

Almost all the gun owners admitted that firing into the air was dangerous for the public, but defended the practice on the grounds that they had no choice but to keep their firearms in operational state.

A large number of arms licences have been granted by police and district administrations’ officials after they fail to provide security to people at risk, said Council of Islamic Ideology member Allama Arif Wahidi, who added that he was pressured by the authorities to obtain an arms licence.

“They repeatedly told me to keep a private guard and I was facilitated to get an arms licence. But after some time, my guard wanted to test the weapon and his own compatibility with it,” Mr Wahidi told Dawn.

“But the officers said the only way to test the weapon was to fire at targets in an isolated place away from populated areas, or to leave it at the police station for them to test,” he said.

Gun owners say that those who live in urban areas are not able to find such isolated locations and so resort to firing into the air on festive occasions.

In the past, people would even test firearms in Saddar, Rawalpindi, recalled Mustansar Najam, the director of Daudsons Armoury. He said that urbanisation has changed the situation.

“The only solution is to have gun clubs where citizens with legal firearms can go and test them and even get help from experts there to service them,” he said, adding that even countries such as the United Arab Emirates have such facilities for citizens and even visitors.

“Government departments obtain almost complete data of an individual when issuing an arms licence. Now the Punjab and federal governments have linked it with [the National Database and Registration Authority] too. Why would any person use weapons with registered numbers in criminal or terrorist acts,” Mr Najam asked.

Rawalpindi and Islamabad already have a Gun Club, which was established near Shakarparian in 2002 and has shooting ranges for shotguns, rifles and pistols, .22 rifle air guns, air pistols and even archery facilities.

Its membership is limited to 1,100 people – many of whom do not possess arms licences. The last shooting competition held at the club in April 2016 saw few visitors compared to a spring festival held earlier the same year. Shooting facilities are limited to members only.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2020