Peshawar is witnessing a troubling shift as the easy availability of firearms and a sharp increase in arms licenses contribute to rising violence and instability.
Sources reported that more than 45,000 arms licenses have been issued in the city over the past year alone, while police have formally requested the cancellation of 1,980 existing licenses.
Official police data stated that in 2024, 658 people were murdered in Peshawar, with domestic disputes and business rivalries cited as the most common motives.
More over, in just the first four months of 2025, 140 individuals lost their lives over minor disagreements a clear indicator of the city’s worsening security situation.
The police department’s revealed that nearly every second household in Peshawar owns at least one firearm.
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In a series of violent incidents reported earlier, a law college student in Peshawar’s University Town shot and killed his classmate following a verbal altercation. Police confirmed that Saif Ali Khan, a third-semester law student, opened fire on his friend and classmate, Jawad Khan, after an argument escalated.
In a separate incident, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) was accused of attacking the residence of a Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in Peshawar, further fueling political tensions in the area.
Meanwhile, in another unrelated incident, Rawalpindi police arrested nine individuals involved in aerial firing at a wedding. The suspects allegedly opened fire on the police when officers attempted to intervene.
