Say no to weapons: Children destroy toy guns in protest

Campaign started in Swat in 2012 to establish weapons are not playthings

SHABQADAR: A gun is not a toy. When children hold placards in their hands to lobby against selling guns as toys, it is not hard to say society has failed. In Amirabad Tangi, Charsadda, near Mohmand Agency and Malakand, children were seen protesting against toy weapons on Tuesday.

Social activist Nangyal Yousafzai who launched the anti-toy gun campaign some three years ago in Swat to end gun culture in Pukhtun society, distributed 50 educational toy kits to children to teach them weapons are not playthings.



The children brought their own toy guns to destroy them at the protest, and displayed their paintings on the subject matter.

According to the activist, “We have established a local unregistered organisation called Hunar Kor in Swat for the promotion of peace through skill development.” Yousafzai added the campaigns used to be organised in Swat and Karachi in the past.



He said Hunar Kor collected money from volunteers and used the funds to purchase educational toys which were then passed out to children in remote villages. “I promised children on my last visit to Amirabad I would bring toys, and to show their appreciation, they gathered here to break their toy guns,” he added.

Yousafzai has also approached the Chinese Embassy to discuss banning export of toy weapons and met traders who are importing the toys from China.

“We have seen a great change in this regard. In the past at least 300 million toy guns were imported via Karachi and 100 million via the silk route.” Yousafzai added, “However, the campaign has reduced the import of toy guns and industrialists in China have refused to make toy guns for Pakistani traders.”



A child interviewed at the protest said after meeting Yousafzai he now knows a gun is still a gun, whether it is real or a toy.

Nazeef Khan, a well-known activist in Charsadda, said Pukhtuns, who are peaceful people, are portrayed as militants. “Now our children are playing with toy weapons, which is transferring militancy to the next generation,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2015.