ISLAMABAD: Pakistan yesterday decided to cancel arms licences issued to religious leaders who fan sectarianism and violate the Amplifier Act.

The Interior Ministry directed provincial home secretaries, the Northern Areas chief secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner to present evidence against those prayer leaders who deliver sectarian speeches and criticise government policies in their Friday sermons.

Reports submitted by the intelligence agencies to the interior ministry revealed that more than 25,000 arms licences had been issued to the religious leaders during the last 10 years, sources said.

Most of the 593 prayer leaders placed in the 11 EE category of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 on charges of fanning sectarianism, have these licences, the sources said.

They said a number of operatives of defunct religious outfits had been issued licences and these had not been cancelled so far.

The federal and provincial authorities concerned have also been directed to send details of these people within a couple of weeks so that the procedure for the cancellation of their licences could be initiated, the sources added.

The Interior Ministry has also directed the provinces to review their policy regarding issuance of arms licences. It said the identity and background of applicants must be checked before such a licence is issued.

The government has fixed a quota of 40 licences for Lahore, Karachi and Hyderabad districts per month while the quota for other districts is 25 and 30 each. The capital administration can issue 20 licences monthly.

The district co-ordination officers have been directed to send the names of the applicants to their respective home departments. – Internews