Angry voices amid fear of freezing death

By Asem Mustafa

The winter has started and there is snow and rain for the earthquake victims who outnumber the displaced people in the new millennium.

The loss of life and property is beyond statistics as human life is too precious and priceless but in the land of the pure it’s valued in few thousands, which is not even guaranteed to reach the living and deceased.

Only one camp can give details of what happens on the name of the relief. Sector H-II is in Islamabad it has over 10,000 earthquake affectees and has a score of complaints, which depict how things are beyond capacity.

How they make out is another story as not all is surfaced and not all angels are shown to the masses.

“Those who died on October 8 were lucky,” the very words were said from a relief doctor in Azad Kashmir to a TV a channel.

The ones who have survived are now praying for another earthquake to end their miseries which none is interested to hear or address.

They say as they please to the media said a woman who wrapped her child in her shawl, which was even inadequate to cover her from the cold.

She said, “I have lost my child in school and another one to cold and I am losing this one as I have nothing to cover her up with, who is to be blamed for that.

I was living in a house and I had a family and I gave alms to the poor and I am reduced to the level of a beggar here and I pray to Allah to end my miseries soon.”

I have survived quake but my child wont survive the cold and neither would I and I say may it (death) be soon as instead of dying everyday from the hands of relief authorities who don’t care much I would rather die as dying of shame and begging them for things they don’t have. It is a trauma and I pray no one should ever experience.”

“I have nothing more to say I will ask the big wigs politicians who speak on our behalf to spend a couple of nights in the open and stay hungry with us and I ask them all and then they will experience what it is like to be cold and hungry.

I dare say their loved one should be dead beside them and then I ask how does it feel, they can only talk and have their photos taken none has experienced it in their lives as none has in land of pure and they just come to seek votes.”

It may be noted here that a strong note of dissent was sent from the highest offices for the politicians who left no opportunity in having their pictures taken for media gimmickry at the expense of the dead and dying.

Charity begins at home and somehow from top down nothing concrete was seen as millions were left to chance the figures are so disputed that nothing can be termed authentic.

It is said 8000 educational institutions were razed with children inside even if these educational institutions have 10 school going ones inside it easily surpasses the official figure presented by the government of the total dead but who is counting the dead.

Another report suggested that 8000 institutions are the one that were registered with government and another 8000 were not listed, making an easy 16000 institutes, which were communal graves for the future.

It is said 30,000 square kilometer in Pakistan is totally devastated and 5.7 million which included a close 3 million women and children left at the mercy of cold weather.

The helicopter flights have been reduced to minimum and last but not the least the upper parts of Northern Pakistan the relief is paused because of snow and rains.

The millions are complaining and few thousands that are in shelter camps complain equally but less vocally.

“They will die early and we will take a little longer to die,” said an angry man adding, “We are baton charged, threatened, abused and cursed by authorities who claim to help but are not helping at all.”

The tents are not winter proof yes they serve as an excellent coffin for us as when we are frozen stiff they can just lower us down in the mass pit which I don’t believe they will bother as they will just focus on relief else where.”

I will not mention as what I have lost but look around and see how people are acting if you find them with smiles which will be very rare ask them not a single one is without trauma and we have been reduced to beggars in our own home.”

The relief that is being promised is reaching Allah knows where I have yet to see a single rupee. I only say that there is a lot left that needs checking who is taking relief and why is not reaching the affectees.”

He pointed out the new political system that has democracy at grass roots should have solved the issue but it failed miserably as it was based on divide and rule policy so the relief money goes to clans and tribes of the select few and there are a lot of embezzlements in it and nothing is transparent.”

I say all this as I have been there and a resident and millions are complaining as they say by the time the promised money if it at all reaches they will be dead and gone by that time.”

I have one question Pakistan has kept Afghan refugees for decades why the current situation seems out of control they had the spaces and tents and all organized staff or with the Afghans gone all infrastructure was wrapped up for good. Surely there must be people who have brains then and have it even now to help assist authorities as what they are doing is wrong.”

I am critical as I tried to reason and get the promised relief to start over again and like me there are many hundred thousands I say hundred of thousands not one or two food and shelter are basic of needs they are not even met what to talk about others promised goods which will take months to reach the survivors who will have to prove as they are really deserving which in current circumstances is beyond reason.

I beg, borrow and steal if there is a chance as its survival and if I survived the cold I will for sure see the good days coming back but in camps and in cold there is majority who suffers from cold and with every passing day the energies are sapped out from their veins with lack of food and medicine.”

“Not many will survive but what could one do we are at the mercy of others who despite efforts don’t feel the pain and misery of the survivors and the insults are beyond human dignity as what is hurled at us for want of simple needs.”

The camp at Islamabad that house over 10,000 of survivors lacks water, adequate shelter, food, medicine to name a few, small children ask people who come and help whatever possible in means for clothing complaining of cold. This is happening in heart of federal capital right under the nose of relief authorities the rest of the picture in remote areas is far more bleak as the relief is taken over there and not all is reaching the people who are stuck up in the cold.

There are complaints against the repressive state forces that are called in for relief efforts from all over the country as they abuse, beat besides keep the survivors staying out from their makeshift tents which are called ‘shelters’ asking them vacate the place as the place is needed for other people.

The most recent example is the NATO Forces camp which is placed the same area where the survivors were thrashed, tear gassed and abused to vacate the place without replacement.
This all had appeared in the papers the questions that remained unanswered as despite all the money that is being given as relief where is it going as why so many of complaints. How the identities are established of those who have lost all what is happening to them how are they being helped.

News of abductions of children and women getting smuggled and looting are all there and it continues despite the checks announced but its happening in the camps and people in the open in millions are more vulnerable.

There have been reports of people selling their kidneys for food and shelter and crooks maneuvering their way in to claim the lands of the people buying it on cheap rates for immediate gain. How will it be checked is a query worth billions of rupees if it at all gets answered.

The news appearing in the Press states billions have already been given to quake victims but no details is given as how. How many shelters are provided or built, how many camps are established, how many are housed, are the meals given three times, what about the snow the people stranded up in the mountains making easy few hundred thousands.

Is the wait and see policy will have snow covering the frozen corpses which will be all covered as it happened in the floods during summers as floods erased everything from thousands of villages and couple of millions that were displaced nothing is for sure as how they managed.

Land of the pure seems to be punished from one after the other natural calamity and an old man a religious scholar just quoted a single verse from Chapter Al-Qasas in Quran (28.58),

"And how many a community have We destroyed that was thankless for its means of livelihood! And yonder are their dwellings, which have not been inhabited after them save a little. And We, even We, were the inheritors" .