Shahzeb Khan
DARRA ADAMKHEL: There was a time when we employed about 50 workers in our arms factory, but now we have only 10 employees as the business is not the same after merger of erstwhile Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This was shared by Mushtaq Afridi from Darra Adamkhel who is associated with the business of arms making for the last 20 years. He is running an arms factory which was built by his forefathers.
“Our business was good until the merger of erstwhile Fata with KP and about 18,000 workers from different cities were working in arms factories here, but now there are only 1,500 workers and they are also finding it difficult to make ends meet,” Mushtaq Afridi told TNN.
Mushtaq Afridi said there were about 8,000 shops of arms in Darra Adamkhel before the 2004 operation, but now only 1,100 are left, business is on the decline and workers are facing difficulties. He said that after ban imposed by the government on issuing new arms licences and permits hundreds of workers have left this profession. He said many workers have now shifted to Peshawar Industrial Estate where the business is good.
Darra Adamkhel is the only arms manufacturing market of erstwhile Fata where thousands of workers were employed for the last 75 years.
Raj Wali, who is associated with arms manufacturing, said he is expert in making different kinds of guns, but now he has lost customers.
“My factory used to employ 20 workers, but only six are left now. We don’t have any modern machinery and we still make arms from old machinery,” he said.
Raj Wali said quality arms are still produced in Darra Adamkhel on very low rates, but the business is suffering due to lack of government patronage.
“I am in the business for the last 30 years, but now our business has lost attraction,” said Hazrat Umar, another businessman.
He said the bazaar still has expert who can manufacture a gun, which is available in market at Rs400,000, with the cost of just Rs150,000. He said the experts of Darra Bazaar are still competing with other markets despite lacking access to modern technology. He said the government must help the arms dealers to revive this industry.
The KP government is establishing an industrial zone in Peshawar to regularize the arms business. All the arms factories will be shifted to the industrial zone which will have 200 units. The industrial zone will be established with a cost of Rs3 billion.
However, most arms dealers in Darra Adamkhel are not willing to leave their area. They say the government must facilitate them in the old arms market in Darra Adamkhel.
