Muslim advocate Paracha says teaching people to apply for firearms because govts failed to protect them

Supreme Court lawyer Mahmood Paracha, who had stated earlier that he would orgse camps to provide help to people from Muslims, SCs and ST communities in applying for firearm licenses on Monday justified his comments and said governments have failed in protecting them.

Speaking to , he said, "We are promoting Article 19 to 21 which is a constitutional right to life. That is what we are asking people to do when the governments have failed and I don't know what the controversy is about. We are only teaching people to fill up the form who don't know how to fill-up the form. What is worrying about others in this?"

On being asked why this call is for one particular community only, he said, "Yes, there is a UN report from America that there are minority communities which are being lynched and targeted in a very orgsed manner. Hence these people will only get this right. These communities deserve it as a matter of right across the country. We are not stopping anyone but this licence cannot be given to people who don't deserve it."

He further elaborated on benefits of such camps and said, "Individuals who today think that law enforcement agencies support them and they can kill anybody on road, will now have the fear that their victim will be equipped to protect themselves. This is going to reduce this kind of violence."

"If government agencies enforce the existing law we will not have to give a call like this. This is the only legal way now", he added.

He also cited the statement made by J-K Governor Satypal Malik in which he appealed militants to "kill those who have looted the country."

"If there are honest officers manning country then there will be no need us to make this appeal or for the governor to speak something like this. There are many honest officers who are sidelined; they should be given good posting", Malik said.

On Sunday, addressing a gathering at the inaugural event of Kargil Ladakh Tourism Festival 2019 at Khree Sultan Choo Sports Stadium Kargil, Malik had said that the biggest disease in Jammu and Kashmir is corruption.

"The biggest disease in Kashmir is corruption... These youth with guns, they are killing PSOs (Personal Security Officer) and SPOs (Special Police Officers) for no reason, why are you killing them? Kill those who have looted your country and all the wealth from Kashmir, have you killed anyone out of them? Nothing will be achieved by this," Governor had said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad had said that he has asked lawyer Mahmood Pracha to postpone the programme under which Muslims, SCs and STs were to be helped in applying for firearms.

"Pracha had announced to start an initiative to ensure that arms are given to Dalits, Muslims, and people of oppressed sections of the society. People did not know about filling up of the forms to procure weapon licenses," Jawad told .

( With inputs from ANI )