Library thrives in Pakistan’s ‘wild west’ gun market town

In this photograph taken on January 4, 2023, an arms dealer Muhammad Jahanzeb reads a book at his shop in Darra Adamkhel town, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
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Updated 16 January 2023
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Library thrives in Pakistan’s ‘wild west’ gun market town

  • The town of Darra Adamkhel has seen decades of militancy, drug-running in the surrounding mountains
  • The town has long been known for its black-market bazaars stocked with forged US rifles, rip-off AK-47s

DARRA ADAMKHEL: When the din of Pakistan’s most notorious weapons market becomes overwhelming, arms dealer Muhammad Jahanzeb slinks away from his stall, past colleagues test-firing machine guns, to read in the hush of the local library.

“It’s my hobby, my favorite hobby, so sometimes I sneak off,” the 28-year-old told AFP after showing off his inventory of vintage rifles, forged assault weapons and a menacing array of burnished flick-knives.

“I’ve always wished that we would have a library here, and my wish has come true.”

The town of Darra Adamkhel is part of the deeply conservative tribal belt where decades of militancy and drug-running in the surrounding mountains earned it a reputation as a “wild west” waypoint between Pakistan and Afghanistan.




In this photograph taken on December 14, 2022, an overview of Pakistan's biggest private arms market is pictured in Darra Adamkhel town, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

It has long been known for its black-market bazaars stocked with forged American rifles, replica revolvers and rip-off AK-47s.

But a short walk away a town library is thriving by offering titles including Virginia Woolf’s classic “Mrs Dalloway,” instalments in the teenage vampire romance series “Twilight,” and “Life, Speeches and Letters” by Abraham Lincoln.

“Initially we were discouraged. People asked, ‘What is the use of books in a place like Darra Adamkhel? Who would ever read here?’” recalled 36-year-old founder Raj Muhammad.

“We now have more than 500 members.”

Literacy rates in the tribal areas, which were semi-autonomous until 2018 when they merged with the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are among the lowest in Pakistan as a result of poverty, patriarchal values, inter-clan conflicts and a lack of schools.




In this photograph taken on December 14, 2022, a school student browses to read books inside the Darra Adam Khel Library in Darra Adamkhel town, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

But attitudes are slowly changing, believes soft-spoken 33-year-old volunteer librarian Shafiullah Afridi: “Especially among the younger generation who are now interested in education instead of weapons.”

“When people see young people in their neighborhood becoming doctors and engineers, others also start sending their children to school,” said Afridi, who has curated a ledger of 4,000 titles in three languages — English, Urdu and Pashto.

Despite the background noise of gunsmiths testing weapons and hammering bullets into dusty patches of earth nearby, the atmosphere is genteel as readers sip endless rounds of green tea while they muse over texts.

However, Afridi struggles to strictly enforce a “no weapons allowed” policy during his shift.




In this photograph taken on December 14, 2022, gunsmiths work in an arms shop at Darra Adamkhel, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

One young arms dealer saunters up to the pristinely painted salmon-colored library, leaving his AK-47 at the door but keeping his sidearm strapped on his waist, and joins a gaggle of bookworms browsing the shelves.

Alongside tattered Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Michael Crichton paperbacks, there are more weighty tomes detailing the history of Pakistan and India and guides for civil service entrance exams, as well as a wide selection of Islamic teachings.

Libraries are rare in Pakistan’s rural areas, and the few that exist in urban centers are often poorly stocked and infrequently used.

In Darra Adamkhel, it began as a solitary reading room in 2018 stocked with Muhammad’s personal collection, above one of the hundreds of gun shops in the central bazaar.




In this photograph taken on January 4, 2023, a general view of the Darra Adam Khel Library building is pictured in Darra Adamkhel town, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

“You could say we planted the library on a pile of weapons,” said Muhammad — a prominent local academic, poet and teacher hailing from a long line of gunsmiths.

Muhammad paid 2,500 rupees ($11) for the monthly rent, but bibliophiles struggled to concentrate amidst the whirring of lathes and hammering of metal as bootleg armorers plied their trade downstairs.

The project swiftly outgrew the confines of a single room and was shifted a year later to a purpose-built single-story building funded by the local community on donated land.

“There was once a time when our young men adorned themselves with weapons like a kind of jewelry,” said Irfanullah Khan, 65, patriarch of the family who gifted the plot.

“But men look beautiful with the jewel of knowledge, beauty lies not in arms but in education,” said Khan, who also donates his time alongside his son Afridi.




In this photograph taken on January 4, 2023, a former arms dealer and founder of Darra Adam Khel Library, Raj Muhammad looks at a book inside the library in Darra Adamkhel town, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

For the general public a library card costs 150 rupees ($0.66) a year, while students enjoy a discount rate of 100 rupees ($0.44), and youngsters flit in and out of the library even during school breaks.

One in 10 members are female — a figure remarkably high for the tribal areas — though once they reach their teenage years and are sequestered in the home male family members collect books on their behalf.

Nevertheless, on their mid-morning break schoolgirls Manahil Jahangir, nine, and Hareem Saeed, five, join the men towering over them as they pore over books.

“My mother’s dream is for me to become a doctor,” Saeed says shyly. “If I study here, I can make her dream come true.”




In this photograph taken on December 14, 2022, an arms dealer Hakimullah Afridi puts a locally-made automatic gun on display at his shop in Darra Adamkhel, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) south of Peshawar. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

 


Afghanistan says to begin work on $10 billion gas pipeline through Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan 

Updated 57 min 41 sec ago
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Afghanistan says to begin work on $10 billion gas pipeline through Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan 

  • Work on the TAPI pipeline has repeatedly been delayed due to security issues in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan
  • Afghan officials Wednesday joined dignitaries in Turkmenistan to celebrate pipeline’s completion on that side of border

Afghanistan said Wednesday work would begin on a $10 billion gas pipeline traversing South Asia as officials joined dignitaries in neighboring Turkmenistan to celebrate its completion on that side of the border.
Progress on the TAPI pipeline — running through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India — has been repeatedly delayed because of security issues in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan.
“From today the operations will start on Afghanistan’s soil,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at the ceremony in comments broadcast by Afghan state television.
At the border ceremony in Islim Cheshma in Turkmenistan, officials on both sides, including Afghan Prime Minister Hassan Akhund, hailed the project.
“This project will benefit not only the economies of the countries participating but also the countries of the whole region,” Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow said in a video broadcast live at the ceremony.
In the Afghan border province of Herat, a public holiday was declared to mark the occasion, with posters celebrating the project plastered around the capital of the same name.
The pipeline will see around 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year extracted from the Galkynysh gas field in southeast Turkmenistan.
It will be pumped through a 1,800-kilometer (1,120-mile) pipeline traversing Afghanistan, including Herat and Kandahar in the south, before crossing into restive Balochistan province in Pakistan and ending in Fazilka in Indian Punjab.
Pakistan and India will each purchase 42 percent of the gas deliveries, and Afghanistan 16 percent, while Kabul will also benefit from lucrative transit fees of around $500 million per year, according to Afghan media.
Work on the Turkmen side began in 2015 and was initially scheduled to start in Afghanistan in 2018, but has been repeatedly delayed.
India’s commitment to the pipeline has also previously been questioned over its relationship with Pakistan and its already easy access to liquefied natural gas markets.
- Jobs and cheap gas -
The ceremony was an opportunity to simultaneously launch various bilateral projects, including a fiber-optic line to Herat, an electricity line, and the inauguration of a railway bridge.
In a country plagued by unemployment, TAPI “will provide jobs for 12,000 people in Afghanistan,” the government spokesman Mujahid told AFP.
Neither Afghan nor Turkmen officials have provided details on the financing or the expected date for TAPI to come online.
However, Swapnil Babele, an analyst with the research group Rystad Energy, expects further delays “as a lot of work remains to be done and the question of future financing is unclear.”
“We expect it to be operational only in the next decade,” he told AFP.
For the three recipient countries, the pipeline will have the advantage of “delivering gas cheaper than liquefied natural gas and ensuring consistent supply.”
It is the most significant development project for Taliban authorities since they seized power in 2021, ending their two decade-long insurgency against the foreign-backed government.
The pipeline gives the government, which is not officially recognized by any nation, a strategic role in regional cooperation between Central Asia and South Asia, which is facing huge energy deficits.
Afghanistan, although still under economic and financial sanctions from the West, is currently trying to relaunch ambitious projects, particularly in energy, mines and infrastructure.
At the end of July, Afghanistan and China officially relaunched a major copper-extraction project in the world’s second-largest known deposit, near Kabul, which had been bogged down since 2008.


Saudi naval delegation discusses maritime security with Pakistani task force commander in Bahrain

Updated 24 sec ago
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Saudi naval delegation discusses maritime security with Pakistani task force commander in Bahrain

  • Pakistan assumed command of the multinational Combined Task Force 150 earlier this year in July
  • The task force is to counter smuggling, narcotics trafficking and ensure the region’s maritime security

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) on Wednesday met with Pakistan’s Commodore Asim Sohail Malik, who is currently commanding the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) in Bahrain, to explore potential avenues for collaboration and discuss the region’s maritime security.

CTF 150 is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multinational naval partnership aimed at ensuring the security in critical regions like the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.

CTF 150’s mission is to counter illicit activities at sea, including smuggling, trafficking of narcotics and other non-state actor threats, to promote stability and security in these vital international waters.

Pakistan assumed command of this task in July for the 13th time, with the country’s naval officials pointing out its frequent leadership of CTF 150 highlighted the trust placed in it by other coalition partners.

“During the meeting, both [sides] shared their perspectives on regional maritime security challenges and explored potential avenues for collaboration between CTF 150 and the upcoming RSNF Maritime Component Command to maintain security and stability in the region,” an official statement circulated by the naval headquarters in Islamabad said.

“Discussions focused on CTF 150’s ongoing operations aimed at disrupting illicit activities in the Arabian Sea and ensuring maritime security in the region,” it added.

The statement said Pakistani official and Saudi Arabia’s Commodore Othman Oqab Al Zahrani also reaffirmed the excellent relationship between the naval forces of their countries, emphasizing the necessity of working together to ensure greater maritime security.

The RSNF delegation also engaged with the entire Pakistan Navy team currently leading CTF 150 and exchanged views on viable options to counter contemporary maritime security challenges.

Commodore Malik assured the Saudi delegation that his team would continue to strengthen the efforts of the multinational task force to ensure robust security in the maritime domain of its responsibility. He also assured the visiting delegation Pakistan Navy’s commitment to working with other coalition navies.

 


Pakistan PM promises to promote football after street team’s stellar Norway performance

Updated 35 min 16 sec ago
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Pakistan PM promises to promote football after street team’s stellar Norway performance

  • Pakistan’s street child football team is primarily composed of underprivileged children with limited resources
  • Shehbaz Sharif says a comprehensive plan for the development of football in Pakistan will soon be implemented

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Pakistan’s street child football team on Wednesday, which recently delivered an outstanding performance at a tournament in Norway, and promised to do everything possible to promote the sport in the country.
Football enjoys a significant fanbase in Pakistan, but it has often been overshadowed by the nation’s obsession with cricket. Efforts to uplift the national football team are gaining momentum, however, with its players facing veteran teams from Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Pakistani street child football team also displayed a stellar performance in the Norway Cup 2024, advancing to the semifinals after remaining undefeated in its group stage matches.
“The players of the Pakistani street child football team are making the country proud worldwide,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office after the meeting. “Your outstanding performance proves that Pakistani youth can exhibit their talents globally if they have the opportunity.”
“We will take every possible step for the development of football in Pakistan,” he added. “A comprehensive plan for the development of football in the country will soon be implemented.”
Pakistan’s street child football team is primarily composed of underprivileged children who have very limited resources.
These children come from marginalized backgrounds and face significant challenges, including lack of access to proper education, training facilities and basic necessities.
The team is promoted and supported by Muslim Hands, a UK-based non-profit organization that focuses on humanitarian aid, education, and poverty alleviation.
The prime minister also praised Muslim Hands for its initiative and assured the team of his government’s full support.
He also directed the relevant authorities to fully restore departmental sports on a priority basis and to submit a report.


Suspected militant attacks leave two dead, five injured in western Pakistan

Updated 11 September 2024
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Suspected militant attacks leave two dead, five injured in western Pakistan

  • The first attack targeted a vaccination team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing a polio worker and a policeman
  • Five people were also injured in Balochistan province in a grenade attack outside a state-owned bank in Turbat

PESHAWAR/QUETTA: Two suspected militant attacks in Pakistan’s volatile western provinces on Wednesday resulted in the killing of a polio worker and an accompanying policeman by unidentified gunmen, while five others were injured in a grenade explosion.
Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence, particularly in the restive provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, where the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist insurgents have frequently launched attacks against civilians and security forces.
Amid this rise in violence, Pakistan has intensified its nationwide polio vaccination campaign after 17 cases of the disease were reported this year.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, TTP militants have previously targeted polio vaccination teams in KP, and Baloch separatists have used hand grenades in past assaults.
“The attack on the polio vaccination team happened at 12 PM in the Malasaid area of Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur district,” Muhammad Israr, a police spokesperson in the area, told Arab News. “One polio worker and a policeman were killed when they were going from door to door to administer vaccine to children.”
This was the second attack on a polio team in KP within the last two days. On September 9, a police vehicle escorting vaccination workers was targeted by an improvised explosive device in South Waziristan district, injuring at least 13 people.
Prior to that, in July, two policemen protecting polio vaccination teams were injured in separate incidents by unknown militants in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts in northwest Pakistan.
Similarly, in January, five policemen were killed and 22 others injured in a blast targeting a polio team in the Mamund region of Bajaur district.
Israr said the police were continuing their investigation into the latest attack, adding the funeral prayers for the policeman killed today had been offered at the Khar Police Station.
GRENADE ATTACK
Meanwhile, at least five people were injured in Balochistan’s Turbat district after unidentified men attacked civilians standing outside a bank with a hand grenade.
The province has long grappled with a separatist insurgency, with Baloch militants accusing the central government of exploiting its mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies these allegations, asserting it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
Last month, the Baloch Liberation Army, a militant armed faction, launched coordinated attacks in different parts of the province, resulting in over 50 deaths.
The Station House Officer in Turbat, Muhammad Hussain Baloch, told Arab News that the latest grenade attack occurred in front of the state-run National Bank of Pakistan.
“Five people were injured in the attack,” he said. “The police have initiated an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.”
“When the attack occurred, there was no movement of security forces in the area. Only civilians standing outside the bank were injured,” he added.


Pakistan confirms fifth case of mpox virus

Updated 11 September 2024
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Pakistan confirms fifth case of mpox virus

  • Patient hails from Lower Dir in northwest Pakistan and has history of traveling to Gulf countries
  • Health authorities had earlier declared Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province mpox free on September 8 

KARACHI: Pakistani health authorities confirmed a fifth case of the mpox virus in the country on Wednesday, identifying the patient as a resident of the northwestern district of Lower Dir who had been isolated at home after displaying symptoms of the disease and testing positively for it.

The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency over the spread of a new mutated strain of mpox named clade I, which first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since spread to several countries, leading to increased monitoring and preventive measures worldwide.

Since it confirmed its first mpox case last month, Pakistan has implemented stringent screening protocols at all airports and border entry points. 

“The fifth case of mpox reported in Pakistan,” the health ministry spokesperson in a statement said on Wednesday. “The citizen belongs to Lower Dir and has travel history from Gulf countries.”

The statement said the patient was referred for testing by the health department of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province based on symptoms he displayed during screening at the airport. He was now isolating at home, the ministry said. 

Dr. Mukhtar Bhart, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health, said the federal ministry of health was working closely with provincial authorities to monitor new cases. 

Patients who contract mpox get flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Mpox is usually mild but can kill, and children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of complications from the infection.

Earlier this week, health authorities had declared Pakistan’s KP province mpox-free after all four patients previously infected with the virus recovered.