Pakistan's Illicit Gun Culture: Decades of Conflict, Permissive Governance Fuel Crisis

"The country's modern landscape of arms trafficking and illegal gun ownership sits at the intersection of geopolitics, criminal enterprise, and cultural tradition, an ecosystem where state fragility and societal norms reinforce one another, allowing the trade in small arms and light weapons to flourish," Fatima Chaudhary, a lecturer at a private university in Pakistan's Punjab province, wrote in a report in Afghan Diaspora Network.

"The past two decades of militancy, suicide bombings, and attacks on security forces have created fertile ground for organised crime. As the state's attention and resources were consumed by counterterrorism, criminal markets expanded in the shadows. Heroin trafficking surged alongside a rising domestic addiction crisis, and weapons flowed through the same routes, carried by the same networks," the author further stated.

In 2023, Interpol's Operation Trigger Salvo II revealed the scale of this underground economy as hundreds of firearms, components, and rounds of ammunition were seized in Pakistan, especially in areas which share border with Afghanistan. These seizures demonstrated only a fraction of the weapons that were circulating in the region.

The US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 further increased the problem. After taking control of Afghanistan, Taliban also obtained vast quantities of US-supplied military equipment abandoned by retreating forces. Pakistan also obtained these weapons by smuggling some across borders and others traded through long‑established tribal networks. Although individuals need to have licenses to own a gun in Pakistan, however, millions of ammunition remain unregistered and illegal weapons are available in markets, workshops, and online platforms.

"Pakistan ranks among the top 25 countries in civilian gun ownership, with an estimated 22 firearms per 100 civilians according to the Small Arms Survey. Yet unlike the United States, where gun ownership is heavily commercialised, Pakistan's weapons economy is overwhelmingly illicit," Chaudhary wrote in Afghan Diaspora Network.

"Small arms fuel the operations of criminal groups, militant outfits, and urban gangs. The arrest of a serving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa policeman in April 2024 caught smuggling small arms into Karachi illustrated how deeply entrenched these networks have become. Buyers place orders through social media, dealers in KP arrange the supply, and couriers like the arrested officer deliver weapons across provincial lines. The demand is high, and the risks are low," the author added.

Carrying arms is not only tolerated but embedded into cultural identity in several parts of Pakistan, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Craftsmen in areas like Darra Adamkhel have made handmade copies of MP5 submachine guns, M16s, AK‑47s, and several other models. People who prefer affordability over precision over buy these 'Khyber Pass' firearms, often sold at a third of the price of originals.

Apart from these informal workshops, modern private manufacturers in and around Peshawar produce commercial firearms using industrial equipment. The policies of Pakistan have further increased the crisis. Civilians and private militias have also become owners of arms due to Pakistan's distribution of gun licenses, often used as political favours or tools of patronage. In addition, online platforms, especially social media, have become market places for unlicensed weapons.

The report in Afghan Diaspora Network stated, "Pakistan's role as a transit point for drug trafficking further intertwines narcotics and weapons smuggling. Shared routes, shared financiers, and shared transport networks mean that arms and drugs often move together. According to the Organized Crime Index, Pakistan's arms trafficking market worsened between 2021 and 2023, scoring 8.5 out of 10, placing it alongside countries grappling with entrenched criminal economies."

- IANS