Slingshot: Toy and weapon as part of Pashtun culture

Slingshot or Ghulail is a part of the Pashtun culture which is both a toy and a weapon of war which is also pronounced as Landa in Pashto. Slingshot has been popular in all ages and nations.

A ‘ghulail’ market is also located in Peshawar’s Namak Mandi where beautiful slingshots of different colours, textures and sizes are made which are sent to different parts of the country at different prices ranging from 50 to 600.

It is believed that the credit for its invention goes to the tribes who are fond of hunting and shooting.

Slingshot is considered an authentic and reliable weapon for stopping wild animals. It is a wooden stick shaped like the English word V on which two rubbers are tied and a small piece of leather is tied to the rubbers.

A sling with which any stone or other object can be thrown with force to a distance. If the rubbers are strong and hard and stones hit the head, it can be fatal.

It is a separate debate whether a slingshot is a toy or a weapon because it has proven itself in both ways. If it is a toy in childhood it is a weapon in boyhood.

People can also shoot down fruits from walnut, persimmon and apple trees far from their reach, they can also hunt sparrows, wild pigeons, hawks and grouse.

Among Pashtuns, slingshot has been extremely popular and loved all over the world. It used to be an industry, even today there are centres in Peshawar but that hobby has now become a thing of the past.

In the past, slingshots decorated with pearls were made which were very expensive, however, buyers pay more attention to the quality of the rubbers instead of beautiful frames.

After watching colourful slingshots around children’s necks as a toy, and on the other hand, pelting stones from the slingshots at the occupation forces in Kashmir and Palestine, people usually confuse about whether to consider it as a toy or a weapon.

Recently, Asim Khan, former District Nazim of Peshawar and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), along with his party workers, bought dozens of ghulails from Peshawar Namak Mandi for the Haqiqi Azadi March.