This is important because these weapons can again find their way into the streets and illegal possession, says an expert on proliferation of small arms. There have been at least four deweaponisation drives in the last decade, including this one. None of the previous three succeeded. The issue is very complex. Arms will always come into conflict-prone zones.
Proliferation has to be checked at both ends.
This means addressing not just the effect but also the cause, at least in the long term. Moreover, where borders are porous, as is the case with South Asia, national efforts alone may not address the problem. The issue then needs to be tackled through regional efforts, says this expert. Given the level of ethnic and sectarian conflict in Pakistan, the continuation of the civil war in Afghanistan, Pakistani groups linkages with warlords in Afghanistan, the trouble in Kashmir, the existence of jihadi groups, and various other factors make it nearly impossible for any government to check the proliferation of arms in the country. Minister Haider recently claimed that the government had done its homework for the massive drive.