Dara Adamkhel, Pakistan: When the noise of Pakistan's most infamous arms market becomes intolerable, arms dealer Mohammad Jahanzeb slips away from his stall, his former colleagues testing machine guns read quietly in a nearby library.
The 28-year-old admitted to AFP that he sometimes shies away from his collection of vintage rifles, Forge assault rifles and a terrifying assortment of burnt-out broomsticks because it is his favorite hobby. We now have a library, which I always wished for.
The town of Darra Adamkhel, which is located in an extremely conservative tribal region, has a history of militancy and drug trafficking, which has earned it a reputation as a "Wild West" crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Also Read: UN watchdog optimistic about safeguarding Ukraine nuclear plant
It has a long history of making counterfeit AK-47s, replica revolvers and American rifles that are not authentic. However, the town's library is thriving and holds books such as Abraham Lincoln's "Life, Speeches and Letters", the teenage vampire romance series "Twilight", and Virginia Woolf's classic "Mrs. Dalloway".
We were initially disappointed. People asked what use are books at a place like Darra Adamkhel? Who can read it? Remembered founder Raj Mohammed, 36. We currently have over 500 members.
Due to poverty, patriarchal values, inter-ethnic conflicts and lack of educational opportunities, Pakistan's tribal regions, which had semi-autonomous status until 2018 when they merged with the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have some of the lowest literacy rates nationwide.
Quiet 33-year-old volunteer librarian Shafiullah Afridi thinks attitudes are slowly changing. "Especially among young people who are now more interested in education than weapons," Afridi said, "people start sending their children to school when they see young people in their neighborhood becoming doctors and engineers "
Also Read: Daughter urges bold action over words on King holiday
While readers sip endless rounds of green tea and contemplate the texts, there is the noise of gunners testing weapons and shots fired in a dusty patch of earth nearby. While on duty, Afridi finds it difficult to strictly enforce the "no weapons allowed" rule.
A group of bookworms are perusing the shelves when a young arms dealer strolls up to the immaculately painted salmon-colored library, leaving his AK-47 at the entrance but keeping his holster tied to his waist.
As well as worn paperbacks of Michael Crichton, Stephen King and Tom Clancy, there are bulky books on the history of Pakistan and India, preparation manuals for civil service exams and a variety of Islamic teachings. There are few libraries in rural Pakistan, and those that do exist in urban areas are often less and less used.
Also Read: Former woman lawmaker stabbed to death in her home
It began in 2018 as a stand-alone reading room in Darra Adamkhel, located above one of the many gun shops in the main bazaar and filled with Mohammed's personal collection. Mohammed, a noted local academic, poet and teacher who comes from a long line of gunsmiths, quipped, "You could say we put the library on a pile of arms."