Despicable.
NOWSHERA, Pakistan – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to educate children about the dangers of toy-like bombs after militants allegedly targeted them recently with bombs disguised as candy, toys and even a string of ball-shaped explosives tied to a cricket bat.
The February 5 discovery of the string of bombs tied to the cricket bat in Akora Khattak, Nowshera District, reminded educators and parents of the militants’ desire to harm children.
“The bombs were in the shape of cricket balls and tied up to the handle of the cricket bat and placed near the school to attract children,” Rajab Ali, station house officer, told Central Asia Online then. “But locals informed the police in time, and the bombs were defused.”
Last May, a bomb placed inside a make-up box and covered with candy and money apparently targeted female students of a nearby Hamza Town school, drawing attention and outrage.
Describing another incident, Peshawar resident Sabz Ali Gul – a father of two – recalled his son’s near tragedy.
“Last year, my 5-year-old son brought home a duck-like toy,” he told Central Asia Online. “It was ticking. Sensing something wrong, I threw it into a nearby sewage canal and it exploded.”