Poster competition: A calling for the little guardians

AMAN attempts to raise awareness about improvised explosive devices.

ISLAMABAD:

In a bid to raise awareness, especially among the children, about the potential of destruction of homemade improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Awareness Movement for an Alert Nation (AMAN) organised a children’s poster competition at the PNCA on Monday.

Eloquently titled, “Hum Hain Paasban Iss Kay” (We are its guardians), the competition hopes to educate children on how best to identify IEDs and bring them to the attention of the authorities. It will remain open till April 24.

The interesting part of the opening ceremony, which won accolades from audience, was that it was inaugurated by a 12-year-old boy Noman Ahmed, who recently averted a terrorist attack on a commercial bank in his hometown in Karachi. The young boy found a peculiar cement block with wires hanging from the sides and reported it to the area police - the block was found to be a 32kg IED planted by terrorists to reign havoc in the metropolitan area. Noman’s presence of mind and timely action saved many lives - a trait that the NGO aims to mainstream.

In the poster competition, children had depicted ways to protect themselves and their country in the face of lurking threats. “Be vigilant about your surroundings” was the slogan depicted in many of the pieces. The simple colourful drawings managed to give a strong statement and left a lasting impact on the on viewers. Some children painted horrific scenes of the aftermath of a terrorist attack, while others used the traditional sign of peace to put the message across.

Presiding over the inauguration ceremony, Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira lauded the efforts of AMAN, adding that such campaigns are necessary to bridge the information gap on important subject such as terrorism.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2012.