Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK): The 14th anniversary of the devastating earthquake, 14 years ago in 2005 was commemorated across Azad Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday, October 08.
The anniversary was observed as the National Day for Raising Awareness about safety from natural calamities besides as ‘day of firmness and determination for reconstruction in memory of earthquake martyrs’ coupled with special prayers for the rest of the departed souls of the quake victims in eternal peace and to express complete solidarity and sympathies with the survivors of the history’s most worst natural catastrophe.
The 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted Azad Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 8:52 am on the morning of October 8, 2005. Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, was ground-zero in the catastrophic temblor. The city and the entire region to Balakot was left virtually unrecognizable when the earth stopped shaking leaving over 82,000 people dead and thousands injured.
The devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, had jolted Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) turning major part of the two adjoining regions into rubble.
This year Mirpur city of AJK observed the anniversary when it met the same fate in form of Sept. 24 devastating quake of moderate magnitude measuring 5.8 at Richter scale that left at least 39 people dead and over 800 injured besides huge damaging of the buildings across Mirpur city and adjoining areas of Jatlaan leaving hundreds of thousands of the people shelter less badly affecting the daily life.
Our AJK Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao reports from Mirpur that in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the day dawned with special prayers for the martyrs of the earthquake. Prayers were also made for the liberation of the locked down bleeding vale of occupied Jammu and Kashmir from Indian subjugation.
Fateh Khawani and Quran Khawni were offered for thousands of victims of the calamity who lost their lives in the quake-hit Muzaffarabad and other parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Mirpur division, special functions were held to mark the day as the National Disaster Awareness Day with new pledge.
The major ceremonies were held at the much-affected Naka Kharak and Samwal Shareef (Most affected villages of 24 September earthquake) villages situated in outskirts of Mirpur City.
Addressing to the affectees of recent earthquake Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal said that Pak-Army and governments of AJK and Pakistan will take concrete measures to facilitate the earthquake affectees.
He said NDMA is going to establish Earthquake Fund for early relief and rehabilitation of the affectees of any disaster in the future.
Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal said that NDMA has also established two protection unites for women and children.
A walk of the children living in Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust Complex Mirpur was also taken out in Mirpur regarding this. The walk started from Mirpur Cricket stadium and ended at the same venue after passing through main Muhammad Shaheed Chowk and quid-e-Azam Chowk.
In Mirpur Cricket Stadium special prayer was offered for the martyrs of earthquake. Sirens were blown at 8.52 a.m and two minutes silence observed in the memory of the victims of the catastrophe. Orphan children and students of different schools and colleges participated.
Functions were held in Mirpur University of Science and Technology, Medical colleges, girls and boys schools and colleges across Mirpur. Our representatives report similar functions from Bhember and Kotli districts of Mirpur division.
Azad Kashmir Radio Mirpur and FM 101 broadcast special programs in connection with the day.
AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan laid floral wreath at the memorial of the martyrs in the capital town. The ministers and large number of local people attended the ceremony. One minute silence was observed at 08:52 this morning.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir flag remained at half-mast on all public buildings of the state to mark the anniversary.
Children dwelling South Asia’s largest Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) and Educational Complex Mirpur, who were fallen orphan and lost their parents in the devastative earthquake marched in the memory of their loved ones in Mirpur participated in the walk.
Founder of the KORT Educational and Relief Trust Ch. Muhammad Akhtar and his associates Station Director AK Radio Mirpur Muhammad Shakeel and Ch. Muhammad Hanif and other city elite led the walk, The walk started from Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Stadium was also attended by students and other local people in large number.
Fateha Khwani also observed for the quake victims who died in the collapse of Islamabad’s Margalla Tower. Scouts and university students laid flowers for the martyrs at the memorial.
Rescue 1122 held a rally in Lahore in the memory of the earthquake victims.
Major ceremony to mark the day was held at AJK University ground in the capital city of Muzaffarabad, with the sign of deep rooted love and affection by the government and the people of Pakistan as well as the national and international NGO’s and brotherly foreign countries who contributed their exceptional share for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the quake hit zone of AJK.
Participants laid the floral wreaths at the memorial monument of the martyrs of the deadly earthquake on this occasion paying rich tributes to the departed souls and other victims of the history’s worst catastrophe.
In Mirpur, a major ceremony was held at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium where Fateha Khawani was offered for the martyrs and one minute silence was observed in the mourning of the victims of the catastrophe.
The memorial ceremony to pray for the rest of the departed souls / the martyrs of the deadly earthquake at Mirpur Cricket Statdium was attended among others by the orphan children of the Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT), an abode of hundreds of the children who rendered orphan in the deadly catastrophe that jolted bulk of AJK turning the capital town in to rubble this day 14 years ago. Besides the students of various other local schools and colleges also attended the ceremony besides large number of people belonging to all walks of life.
Several of the mega Development Projects of public welfare have been completed in the AJK capital in the wake of the broad based phased plan to rehabilitate the AJK metropolis on latest grounds comprising modern civic and other infrastructural facilities.
Similar special ceremonies including walks for awareness, seminars and symposiums were also held in various parts of AJK including Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber districts in the memory of the martyrs of the devastating quake which left over 80 thousand people dead and lakhs of others injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
The ceremonies were attended by the people representing all walks of life including social and political workers, lawyers, journalists and members of the business fraternity to pay glorious tributes to the victims of history’s worst catastrophe this day 14 years ago in 2005.
It may be added that the AJK government had identified about 8 thousand projects for the reconstruction work in the earthquake-hit areas in AJK, with a total investment of Rs. 210 billion. After 14 years down the line still a big portion of the projects in the earthquake hit zone are reportedly still lying incomplete reportedly due to the paucity of funds or other reasons.