Guns vs books

This refers to a very heart-warming article ‘Books, not guns’ by Javed Aziz Khan in TNS on September 15, 2019. According to the writer, a young school teacher by the name of Raj Mohammad has set up a small library in the town of Darra Adam Khel about 40 km south of Peshawar in the erstwhile tribal region.

Darra has always been known as market for the manufacturing of arms and weapons. During the ascendency of the TTP, many schools were torched in Darra, as in other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The establishment of the small library has given hope to the people of the area. Local officials and elders have helped construct a building for the library in a local playground. According to Raj Mohammad, the membership of the library has increased to over 250, including many women. Raj’s young daughter Shifa helps her father take these books to the door steps of some of the female members. Raj is happy that Darra Adam Khel will now be known as a town of book lovers and not just gunrunners.

Akbar Jan Marwat

Islamabad