Darra Adam Khel, a town surrounded by hills, some 35 km (20 miles) south of the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Peshawar, was a hub of criminal action for decades. People smugglers and drug runners were common and everything from stolen cars to fake university degrees was being sold here at a price, ARY reported.
This generations-old craft in the illicit gun trade boomed in the 1980s after the mujahideen began buying weapons for Afghanistan’s battle against the Soviets, over the porous border.
Subsequently, the town became a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, who imposed their strict rules and parallel system of justice. Polish engineer Piotr Stanczak was also infamously beheaded in Darra Adam Khel in 2009.
Now, Darra is clean of everything but the arms, yet the gunsmiths in the bazaar say the area has better security, while complain against the authorities who growing intolerance towards illegal weaponry is withering an industry that has supported them for decades.
"(The) Nawaz Sharif government has established checkpoints everywhere, and business is stopped," said Khitab Gul, 45.
Gul is known in Darra for his replicas of Turkish and Bulgarian-made MP5 submachine guns, one of the most popular weapons in the world, widely used by organisations such as America's FBI SWAT teams.
The MP5 can retail for thousands of dollars. Gul’s version, which comes with a one-year guarantee, costs approximately 7,000 rupees, or $67 and, he claims, it functions perfectly.
Gul then puts on a demonstration, test-firing his MP5 in the small outer yard of his workshop.
A Darra-made Kalashnikov, Gul says, can sell for as little as $125, cheaper than most smartphones. "The workers here are so skilled that they can copy any weapon they are shown," he explains.
"In past 10 years I have sold 10,000 heavy weapons, and had zero complaints," he claims.
In Gul's sweltering workshop, employees shout over the roar of electrical generators as they expertly cut and drill through metal brought from the shipyards of Karachi.
KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on February 1, 2023 (Wednesday).
Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)
Currency | Symbol | Buying | Selling |
US Dollar | USD | 267.53 | 268.18 |
Euro | EUR | 290.22 | 290.82 |
UK Pound Sterling | GBP | 330.48 | 331.18 |
U.A.E Dirham | AED | 72.78 | 73.08 |
Saudi Riyal | SAR | 71.23 | 71.53 |
Australian Dollar | AUD | 190 | 193 |
Bahrain Dinar | BHD | 702.68 | 710.68 |
Canadian Dollar | CAD | 201.75 | 205 |
China Yuan | CNY | 39.15 | 39.55 |
Danish Krone | DKK | 38.6 | 39 |
Hong Kong Dollar | HKD | 33.72 | 34.07 |
Indian Rupee | INR | 3.24 | 3.35 |
Japanese Yen | JPY | 2.5 | 2.54 |
Kuwaiti Dinar | KWD | 865.31 | 874.31 |
Malaysian Ringgit | MYR | 62.24 | 62.84 |
New Zealand Dollar | NZD | 171.35 | 173.35 |
Norwegians Krone | NOK | 26.76 | 27.06 |
Omani Riyal | OMR | 686.49 | 694.49 |
Qatari Riyal | QAR | 72.58 | 73.28 |
Singapore Dollar | SGD | 201.2 | 203.2 |
Swedish Korona | SEK | 25.45 | 25.75 |
Swiss Franc | CHF | 286.19 | 288.69 |
Thai Bhat | THB | 8.06 | 8.21 |
KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs202,000 on Wednesday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs173,190.
Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs164,500 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 179,100.
Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.
City | Gold | Silver |
Lahore | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Karachi | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Islamabad | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Peshawar | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Quetta | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Sialkot | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Attock | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Gujranwala | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Jehlum | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Multan | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Bahawalpur | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Gujrat | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Nawabshah | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Chakwal | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Hyderabad | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Nowshehra | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Sargodha | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Faisalabad | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Mirpur | PKR 202,000 | PKR 2,390 |
Copyright ©2023. Reproduction of this website's content without express written permission from 'Daily Pakistan' is strictly prohibited.