ISLAMABAD: The government has decided in principle to authorise the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to issue arms licences following the Interior Ministry’s failure to handle the issue in a transparent manner, Daily Times learnt on Sunday.

Interior Ministry sources told Daily Times that the ministry had formally submitted a summary to the prime minister for a formal approval of the proposal. NADRA has been taken into confidence over the issue and the authority has expressed its interest in handling the procedure. The sources said initial preparation and requirements in this regard were being fulfilled at a fast pace. In its latest report, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) identified embezzlements worth millions of rupees in the issuance of arms licences by the Interior Ministry.

The report said the ministry issued 88,838 new arms licences from March 28, 2008 to June 30, 2009 and the fee for the licences was an estimated Rs 515.51 million. The money was to be credited to the national exchequer, but the receipts were not submitted with the treasury and the reconciliation of government receipts of Rs 515.51 million were not intimated. tahir niaz
Source: Daily Times
Date:5/17/2010