Quake and the tales of the unexpected

By Asem Mustafa

Lies have gripped everything and for Grand National Interest all must not be told to the masses as the catastrophic earthquake of 7.6 magnitude exposed many faces of the ruling elite and their love of the commoner of the land of the pure.

The photo opportunities and looting of relief goods and the frequent helicopter visits of the ruling elite made the relief workers complain as their photo opportunities distract and hamper the efforts for mitigating the problems of the masses who are in shocked state of having lost all their loved ones besides their property.

The elite as usual came with a great security cordon that halts all that is happening and the ruling elite comprising of all who are the ‘chosen lot’ have not been asked to host a family which they can easily do for the perks which they don’t deserve. They can be asked and their promised perks can be channelised for the surviving affectees who are facing extreme weather now but none is setting an example and everything that appears very good is harped only for the space in the papers.

But fact of the matter is that Pakistan land of the pure has some more millions in the ever-increasing millions joining the poverty line, which hovers at 80 per cent unofficially, and 50 per cent officially.

The latest is the official death toll of 57,000 given from a government representative while there has been a report confirming over 8000 schools which crashed in the quake taking all the children with them as prepared with criminal negligence and no check on impaired constructional materials the contractors made communal grave for the future and generation breathed its last in the rubble that could never be lifted.

State statistics and independents statistics are extreme in terms of figures of how many lost their lives but who is verifying as only one per cent out of the total affected have been evacuated from the region and great number sit out in cold facing hunger and death.

Desperation is a small word to encompass the traumatic millions as left with nothing they have nowhere to turn too.

The millions came from people who wanted to care and share but with all chaos around, millions were wasted. The three R’s Rescue, Rehabilitate and Reconstruct has not even the first R going past 20 per cent or so and remaining R are way after.

It is also accused of being selective and latest being the foreign troops landing in Pakistan the roads leading to the base in Kashmir are off limits to the commoner affectees.

A number of comments by angry people in other circumstances could result in a jail sentence or treason as those who have lost all are now reduced to the level of beggars and the scenes of hungry people reaching and rushing out for food are still very fresh as its everyday with every relief trucks that inch their way to the affected cities.

The dead are in their communal grave as their adobes served the purpose and no exact count is given as how many houses collapsed a rough estimate by government is 200,000 houses were razed while unofficially its double and more.

Similarly the question of National Database Registration Authority is also challenged as it has record of all individuals in Pakistan why such a hush up on giving exact account of the inhabitants in the region.

The incidents of people cutting women arms in the rubble for gold ornaments, killing and looting the relief goods have been reported in the Press. The kidnappers, human smugglers and criminals all have made very strong impressions during the quake and millions of affectees looked in the skies for the promised scattered relief that was there but catered only to thousands.

The world pledged a lot but Government of Pakistan failed miserably to control as how relief efforts should be streamlined. The inability of government offices were also exposed on day one when a multi story building in Islamabad showed all as how human life is accounted for in the land of the pure. The rubble was removed in two weeks areas in the line of quake have resulted in wiping out of cities with hundreds of villages in rubble.

The colossal loss of life is gauged to 300,000 and more with double the number injured while an easy 4 millions are in the open and facing the cold.

The appeals made to them to come down from the highest offices are not heard, why as what ever compensation if at all it reaches them will be taken by the mighty and the rich who as usual made their way with the relief supplies.

The inefficiency can be gauged that with millions of jobless youth if motivated and mobilized earlier in the relief would have resulted in quick recovery of the injured in the rubble which over the time somehow came out on personal effort added with locals who with no respite joined hands as in the end it was their place and their land and they had to do it all by themselves and they did.

It may be mentioned here the entire country has less than 50,000 beds in the hospitals and injured alone are 10 times the amount all faced with bruises and broken bones.

The relief doctors have lost count of the amputations they made on the injured as the simple wounds that could have been treated and cured were infected and doctors had no choice but to cut the limb.

Horrifying statements also appeared in the press where people asked for death rather than to survive supported by relief workers who complained that there is nothing for them to carry out the relief, people begged for pick and shovels to dig out and burry the dead who were under the rubble.

The loss of lives also resulted in the profiteering from the heartless marketers who sold the blankets and tents on exorbitant prices for fast cash. Equally sad episodes were witnessed when the relief goods were found making their way to the market as it happened in the case for the flood affectees earlier this year which also number an easy million and examples from the past that included draught relief and Afghan aid.

The government has many a time reassured that full transparency will be done in distribution of the aid which has been a sore point for all as despite all the relief that is coming is not reaching the deserving that are sitting in the open.

Simple statistics shows that of the four million population not 40,000 have been evacuated and hospitals are filled to the capacity with quake victims staying in the corridors.

Few questions arise as what happens next when these injured leave the hospital, what happens to them, who are going to look after them. The orphans and the women and the old who have nowhere to turn too, the report in the paper says that government will look after them.

The trust of the people on Baitual Maal can be gauged from the fact that before the start of Ramadan people make queues outside banks and draw large amount of sums as to give Zakat from their own hands. The banks all run on interest based economy face this scenario every Ramadan and they have simple answer that people don’t trust bank for the deduction of their money for the purpose of Zakat. Similar trend was witnessed the private donations were far more then the government collection except the aid that came from foreign governments added with the controversy that involved criticism from public when government said it see no problem in accepting aid from Israel and India.

The subservient masses in millions who face death, disease and hunger leave a big question mark as what will happen to them. The three natural calamities during the year and steps taken in relief left a lot to be desired as in January this year was the unprecedented snow in the mountains and many were trapped, in summers came the rains added with floods which wiped out thousands of villages displacing easy a million and two and now earth quake in Ramadan in October has 4 million suffering.

Fingers are pointed at the unaccounted for money which is sent for the people from the world over as the delayed relief and rescue tarnished and shattered many a hopes of the people who scream for help which is not reaching.

There are many reasons given for why it is happening and everyone says that it is a sign from Allah and people must seek forgiveness for their sins and make amends in their attitudes which are governed only by greed and lies which stand justified in the world of today.

Everyone in mosques have prayed for forgiveness and for the lives of the people who died in horrifying earthquake of October 8 which came exactly after four years as four years ago Pakistan made a turn in its policy and assisted coalition troops who conducted 57000 air strikes on Afghanistan and there too people were seen rushing for the food supplies as it was bombing by night and food by day.

“Its our punishment,” said an old man while looking in the sky adding, “We still don’t understand that we are wrong and we are cheating with ourselves and Allah.”

Allah help us all. Ameen