INSTEAD of pens and books, we are giving destructive things, even artificial ones, into the innocent hands of our nation’s builders of the future.

Each year on the occasion of Ramazan and on ‘Meethi’ Eid these types of destructive toys have been imported for the last few years from China in huge amounts, costing millions of rupees, into the local wholesale market that is located on Marriot Road, Karachi.

These toys are supplied around the country from the wholesale market to retail shops as well as on illegal encroachments and on stalls that are placed especially for the sales of such things on every nook and cranny of streets and roads.

These destructive plastic toys are generally made from Chinese material and are copied from the latest weapons. Such toys consist of Repeaters, AK147 pistols, Vaskodi, laser guns, sten guns, lightweight machineguns, mousers and TTs. The Osama Gun is very famous these days. All of them are available in three different sizes — small, medium and large — and are available in the wholesale market for Rs25 to Rs550. But prices become double if they are bought from retail shops. The prices are less in shops in old city localities in comparison to those in posh areas.

These toys are also a cause for street crimes like mobile and wallet snatching. Above all, playing with such toys promotes destructive thoughts in the brains of our innocent children.

I hope that better sense will prevail and the authorities concerned will ban all such toys as soon as possible.

ANEES GAZDAR Karachi