PESHAWAR: A college student has launched a library in his Michini village in Mohmand Agency to facilitate students and motivate the local people to read books instead of wasting their precious time in non-issues.

Work on the reading room `Mashaal Library` was initiated by the student, Najeebullah Mohmand, and now Peace, Education and Development Foundation (PEADF) has also provided books and assured him of further support to establish a rich library in the underdeveloped tribal area. Its formal launching was announced on Sunday.

Mr Najeeb is a fourth year student in government degree college at Eka Ghund.

He told Dawn that majority of students in his area belonged to poor families and could not afford buying costly books of general knowledge.

`It was my wish to establish a library where the local people could read books of their choice and prepare themselves for competitive examinations,` Mr Najeeb said and added that he had arranged some 200 books so far on his own.

He said that efforts were made to make available books helpful in preparation for competitive examinations like CSS, PCS and ISSB so that the poor students could also have the facilities and chance to appear in such examinations.

PEADF representatives, Sajjad Khan and Farhan Khan, donated a consignment of books to Mashaal Library and said that they would extend support in establishing the facility in the backward area.

Mr Najeeb said that the books on science, religion, general knowledge, poetry and other different topics were available in the library.

He said that in the prevailing situation when people of tribal region were facing serious problems due to unavailability of suf ficient educational facilities, the library would be of great help in provision of knowledge to them.

He said that schools and colleges in many areas were closed due to law and order issues.

He said that the government should take such issues seriously to facilitate public.

He said that people of Fata wanted to play their role in development of nationbuilding institutions and for this purpose they needed a helping hand from the administration, civil society and federal government.