Daily Times

Sir: As Eid-ul-Fitr approaches, the looming menace of toy guns and stray bullets rears its ugly head. According to TV Guide reports, gun toys are very likely to increase aggressive behaviour in children, at least in the short term and likely to interfere with inducing values and skills of nonviolent conflict resolution, empathy, and compassion. This can retard the embryonic processes of positive socialisation and ultimate self-actualisation.

The toy industry is huge and intensely competitive business worldwide. The total revenue of the global toy market is $84.1 billion. According to DIG M. Ali, in most of street crimes, an increasing number of criminals are using toy guns, hence it becomes difficult for the untrained eye to differentiate between the fake and the real.

Ideally, children should be provided with toys that stimulate creativity and imaginative play, and encourage sharing and cooperation. Toys should promote learning of new skills and help children develop their own talents.

In KPK, ‘The Poha Foundation’, an NGO, has contributed a great deal in discouraging the culture of this radicalising agent. Pragmatically, Parents Teachers Councils (PTC), civil society organisations, ulemas, media, academicians and intellectuals should strive to create across-the- board awareness through seminars. They should also pressurise both the federal and provincial governments to legislate against this looming monster of radicalisation and violence. District administrators must invoke legal arrangements during Eid and other festivals. Fireworks must be banned on weddings.

Promotion of cultural activities, sports, arts and literature, concerts, etc must be prioritised on urgent basis in a bid to direct the energies of the younger generation toward healthy creativity and inventive imagination.

SAEED ULLAH KHAN WAZIR

Islamabad