Dara Adamkhel, Pakistan: When the clamor of Pakistan’s most infamous arms market becomes overwhelming, arms dealer Mohammad Jahanzeb retreats from his stall to read in the silence of the local library, past allies testing machine guns.
“It’s my hobby, my favorite hobby, so sometimes I sneak away,” the 28-year-old told AFP after showing an alarming array of old rifles, forged assault weapons and charred knives . “I’ve always wanted us to have a library here, and my wish has come true.”
The town of Darra Adamkhel is part of an deeply conservative tribal belt where decades of insurgency and the drug trade in the surrounding mountains have earned it a reputation as a “wild west” route between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It has long been known for black market markets full of forged American rifles, replica revolvers and ripped-off AK-47s.
But a town library not far away is thriving, offering titles including Virginia Woolf’s classic “Mrs. Dalloway,” the teen vampire romance series “Twilight” and “Life, Speeches and Letters” by Abraham Lincoln.
“Initially we were disappointed. People asked, ‘What’s the use of books in a place like Dara Adamkhel? Who would ever read here?'” recalled 36-year-old founder Raj Mohammed.
“We now have over 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 lack of schools.
But attitudes are slow to change, believes soft-spoken 33-year-old volunteer librarian Shafiullah Afridi. “Especially among the younger generation who are now more interested in education than weapons.”
Afridi said, “When people see the youth of their neighborhood becoming doctors and engineers, others also start sending their children to school.”
Despite the background noise of gunsmiths testing weapons and gunshots in the dusty fields nearby, the atmosphere is mellow as readers sip endless rounds of green tea while they contemplate the texts.
However, Afridi struggles to strictly enforce the “no weapons allowed” policy during his innings.
A young arms dealer runs into the predominantly salmon-colored library, leaving his AK-47 at the door but keeping his girth at his waist, and joins a group of bookworms browsing the shelves. it happens.
There are more weighty texts detailing a wide selection of Islamic teachings, along with tattered Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Michael Crichton paperbacks, as well as history of Pakistan and India and guides for civil service entrance exams.
Libraries are rare in rural areas of Pakistan, and the few that do exist in urban centers are often poorly stocked and infrequently used.
In Darra Adamkhel, it began in 2018 as a secluded reading room with Mohammed’s personal collection, above one of the hundreds of gun shops in the central market. “You could say we put the library on the cusp of arms,” said Mohammed, a prominent local academic, poet and teacher who comes from a long line of gunmen.