Similar de-weaponization programs have been proposed in the past. But this time the army is talking tough as it targets tribal groups and religious extremists. But many Pakistanis vow to fight to keep their guns. Extremist Islamic groups, whose leaders usually speak to large crowds of armed fighters, and are usually shadowed by bodyguards wielding Kalashnikovs, have lashed out at the government plan to limit fundraising for weaponry. In Sakhakot, an old gun market town 60 kilometres northeast of the border city of Peshawar, old traditions die hard.
People keep hoarding guns.
Asked about the people who die as a result, Khan says his responsibility ends when the customer hands over his cash. He blames local police for looking the other way whenever someone is shot. And so the gun culture endures. Bristling with an array of imported and homemade weaponry, Sakhakot attracts buyers from across the country. More than 200 gun dealers have set up shop off the main street, which resounds with the clicks of guns being cocked, and the bangs from test-firings.