KOHAT, March 23: Gun makers of Darra Adam Khel have demanded of the government to declare the area as export processing zone (EPZ), and to extend loan facility to those interested in export to the United States and Germany, under the new policy devised for locals to establish alternate business in the tribal belt.

Darra Adam Khel, frontier region of Kohat, is famous for making and smuggling of illegal weapons and ammunitions.

Recently a US firm had placed a Rs120 million order for 24,000 guns— both parachute type and 12 bore hunting rifles— with the arms makers of Darra, through the ministry of defence.

The step aimed at stopping the illegal trade, banned since October 2000, and providing alternate business to the tribesmen. The defence ministry has already placed a small order for 150 such guns with the two arms manufacturers on trial basis.

An arms factory owner, Shoib Afridi, has recently returned from Germany, and got a huge order for the spare parts used in guns and pistols made there.

One of the contractors, Haji Fazal, talking to Dawn, said that most of the labourers returned to their homes in Punjab after the government had imposed a ban on the sale of weapons, and stopped issuing fresh arms licences.

For such a heavy order, we would have to call them back, arrange their boarding and lodging besides building factories and preparing tools used in gun making, once again, he said and added that at present the ailing industry had still the potential to prepare 200 rifles per month, which needed to be enhanced forthwith before accepting the order.

It was a gigantic task and required much investment before starting the work, he said. The contractor demanded that the defence ministry should ask the US company to release some money in advance for necessary arrangements.

HE SAID: “I have asked the authorities concerned to wait for some time because we will not accept the order until we are sure that we could manage the affairs well.”

A representative of the US firm had visited last week with the officials of the defence ministry, and selected some designs while showing keen interest in the copies of British era pistols and guns being manufactured locally, he said.

For export purpose, the contractor said, we would also require a factory for making the quality packings of all the items, which was a totally different field for the local people.

If the government wanted to provide alternate jobs to the people it should provide loans to the locals so that they could set up the required infrastruture.

Mr Fazal also suggested the government to declare Darra Adam Khel an export processing zone and exempt it from all kind of taxes, at least for five years.

He said some of the copies of antiques manufactured here at a newly-established factory were already on display in Rawalpindi, and had been attracting a lot of Americans and Germans.

Darra Adam Khel has two-century old gun manufacturing market with about 900 illegal small and big factories still operating in the area.

The technicians are experts in making copy of each and every foreign weapon at cheaper rates.

Despite a check on the smuggling of arms from here, arms in large quantities are still ferried to the down country, and allegedly used by dacoits, terrorists and other criminals.