No Burial for Balakot

one thing that is clear that in the event of such a calamity, a FEMA type speacialist organization is needed to gets come sense of control in the chaos. pak govt should oursource this ..maybe request FEMA help, or some other experienced agency help, its not too late. its not worth to ``learn on the job`` and than fight about laurels or blame

Saminshah #16: ``Great article. Its really too bad that some of the readers on this board can`t bear to be reminded of how each major manipulating entity in Pakistan has worked in the past. The people of Pakistan and in the diaspora need to be vigilant that the supplies and funds meant for the earthquake survivors are received only by them with only our prayers and thoughts for their wellbeing.``

Could you explain why this is a, ``Great article.`` How is it any different than any other article that describes a visit to this area. Thousands of poeple have visited the area, like Hoodbhoy has done. Why is this great. One could go with, ``good.`` Maybe. But, ``Great?``

People should definitely keep an eye on two things:

- Ensure the govt. and other agencies efficiency, based on thier capabilities are recorded
- Ensure that money is spent correctly and not siphoned off

They should also do the following:

- Give credit where it is due, regardless of their own beliefs
- Only become critics, if they are doing something more

Their are certain things people should not do:

- Push their own politica agenda. Unfortunately, the English newspaper media is on top of the list on this. The first article I read from Irfan Hussain, had the following feature: Certain maulvis had predicted God`s wrath on Katrina, what are they saying about Kashmir, now. Talk about being heartless and pushing his own agenda. Najam Sethi said Benazir`s cases should be dropped in Switzerland, by the govt. so she can come and unite Pakistan. Then one realizes he is the editor of a paper owned by a PPPliya. Tariq Ali went after the Americans for not sending more helicopters and for bigger govts. So on and so forth........This article does the same, to some extent, i.e. tries to push personal political agendas, also, between otherwise reasonable points. I will highlight the following:


- The army’s presence is important and positive, but no senior officers appeared to be present. (What does this mean. How many places did he visit. Why should senior officers be present. The seniormost officer in the area in a Brigadier, who lost his own son)

- Islamic groups...... simple tillers of the soil to tell them that their misdeeds brought about this catastrophe. None seem to have an explanation for why God’s wrath was especially directed to mosques, madrassas, and schools (another cheap shot. how many Islamic groups did he meet. A group is a pretty large organization. Did anyone see this on TV at a large scale. I certainly didn`t)

- Chinook helicopters, diverted from fighting Al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Temporarily birds of peace instead of war, (why bring the Afghan war into this. USA has sent Chinooks. We should be thankful. Belive me they are the right type of helicopter, for this. Why go after the USA, in this case..........It is helping. Or why not just say that it is nice of the USAA to send Chinooks. Or that it should have sent more, etc. Only mention Afghanistan if it had a direct impact on relief efforts)...........

The actual people who deserve credit and should be listened to are the people working there day and night. Be they from the Army, Islamic groups, or Chinook pilots from the USA. They all deserve our respect, and not our politics.............

Too many people trying to hog the limelight in Pakistan...........The true workers, do work quitely (unless their job is media.......)

Interesting article: (Complete article at http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5019727)

Preparing for the unknowable

``PAKISTAN`S earthquake measured 7.6 on a scale known as the moment magnitude. This measure, a successor to Richter, allows seismologists to compare the energy released by different earthquakes. At each step of the scale, about 32 times more energy is released than at the previous step. It has no upper limit, but the largest recorded earthquake was in southern Chile in 1960 and measured 9.5.

Earthquakes happen mostly where the earth`s tectonic plates collide. In Pakistan, quake activity is mainly concentrated in the northern and western sections of the country, along the boundary of the Indian, Iranian and Eurasian plates. The Indian plate is moving north at about 5cm a year, resulting in a force on the southern edge of the Tibetan plateau—the force that generates the Himalayas. As a result, earthquakes occur along the Himalayas all the way to Myanmar. (The movement of the Indian plate also caused the devastating Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami late last year.)

Advertisement

In recent years, Pakistan has not suffered as greatly from earthquakes as its neighbours in the Himalayas, Afghanistan, Nepal, China and India. Its biggest earthquake in living memory occurred in Quetta in 1935, with 30,000 deaths. Nevertheless, Kashmir is seismically active on both sides of the border, with many regular, though less damaging, quakes. In 2002 in the Gilgit-Astore region, 100km (63 miles) north of Muzaffarabad, large earthquakes made about 16,000 people homeless.

Across the Himalayas there is what seismologists call a “slip deficit”—a lack of earthquakes to release the stress that is known to be accumulating. The Kashmir quake was in just such a region, where a great earthquake was overdue. Nevertheless, Roger Bilham, of the University of Colorado, says it is doubtful that the Kashmir quake released more than one tenth of the cumulative energy stored there. Furthermore, in the past half-century the Himalayan region has seen fewer powerful earthquakes than might be predicted from historical records.....................

My pakistani friends,

I had a long day on Friday (10/7/05) as went to work very early in the morning which is very unsual for me. I was on internet in my bed around 9:30pm that evening when I saw someone`s brief message from pakistan on a board regarding earthquake but there was nothing on yahoo or cnn. As my eyes were closing due to sleep while waiting to see some news..I fell asleep thinking might be minor one.

Next morning as I got up and saw the news on TV first thing was to call my family in Amritsar and find out how they are. I know if the same level of earthquake has to come in Amritsar area( which was thought so in early news, as was not clear about what area are effected) during night, I will probably lose more than half of my relatives. this very realization is the key in feeling empathy for the victims of this earth quake in pakistan. I have unequivocal sympathy for the victims and appreciation of Pakistani awaam who has come together in this difficult moment for their country to support the victims. Since due to my prior reservations about Pakistani ruling elite, army and utter disgust of mullahs ways I have criticized some aspects of the relief effort. I have also appreciated some aspects of relief effort in my posts but as they `hasaaye da naaN nai hunda, rowaaye da yaad rehnda` many of you have taken my posts very negatively. I am not going to back track on what I have said. I still believe my criticism and fears are well founded but since you guys are much more grieved, worried and in shock than I can probably emphathize, I will suspend all my comments on the issue for the time being. In the meantime hope that as relief reaches more far flung corners of the effected area, we don`t find more damage than that is already estimated.

re Field Marshal #10:

``Another thing that should be highlighted is that it is the job of every govt. servant to aid in the earthquake. Not just the Army`s. It is every govt. servant`s side job. If someone is a professor employed by the govt., it is their duty, as much as it is the Army officers, to be there. They should not, all, turn into reporters........``

All the harsh winters in Canuck land haven`t gotten this pithu parade robot to think straight. Just call the popularity hungry Professor when the lights go out, the plants need watering or when the horrible Injuns lob a few grenades across the LOC.

re faisaluno #22:

``unlike likes of hoodbhoy and asma jehangir, people who make a difference never seek publicity. couple of my pakistani investment banking acquaintences have raised tens of millions of rupees from their firms. i can guarantee you will not see their names in the press.``

Investment banks have programs setup to match charity donations made by their employees and in most cases they create special funds for particularly tragic situations also. It doesn`t require more than a phone call or e-mail to a couple of people to get the firms to setup those funds. Instead of trying to figure out the intentions of others, it would probably be better if you really got that Bloomberg terminal working. The guys who make the real money would really appreciate it.

later
-sac

Friday,14th Octuber,2005 8:22PM
Central Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Birmingham is the second largest city of UK and she homes one of the biggest Pakistani and Pakistani Kashmiri population in whole of Europe. Naturally , we in Birmingham we died million times when we heard of this earthquake in a country which gives us identity , Pakistan.
I woke up to open my shop at 6 am in the morning , at arround 6:15 am people started to come to my shop to ask for phone cards for Pakistan , came four or five people worried , I was thinking when I heard our local mosques loud speakers * it was for the first time in UK , I heard mosque in UK using loud speakers* it was Molvi Sahab that kind hearted soul,UCE educated person calling for ` for donations , for earth quake ` he could hardly speak , crying he spoke of devastation in Pakistan . I was shattered , I wonder if it all happened in Karachi ? * as I came from there * but it was Islamabad and almost half of Northern Pakistan , I shook my head thinking it must be a small one as always , things will settle down . At arround 10am, our neigbourhood was hushing towards me to check whats wrong with the phone cards which we sold in the morning , as call were not nothing through . Then came news that Dadyal , Mirpur , Chakswari suffered minor damage `thanks God` couple of mosque domes came down but nothing serious. Then came a figure of 5000 and I was shocked , whats happening ? then Muzzaffarabad, Balakot,Islamabad ` Allah , whats happening , whats wrong ? ` this can`t be my country ! but this has happened ! whats next ? Here I would like to add that areas near NWFP suffered most dustruction , Muzafarabad is one example ; Mirpur and Dadyal came into plain areas thus they surived.
Birmingham is boiling , so is United Kingdom , everyone is denoting with open hands , in the charity box in my shop in 3 days I collected more then 3,000 pounds , the small mosque collected more then 12,000 pounds , local primary school and secondly school collected 3,000 each - this is the money which we collected on just one road in Birmingham within 3 days - despatched to Pakistan . It`s intresting because the Gujratis in our area has totally ignored this earthquake incident as people who died are `non-living things` , Irish are pinching in with donations and the lady I know whos quite popular donated 120 pounds and is helping us too . The Evening Mail ( largest regional newspaper of this region ) had started a campaign as well . Yesterday , one of my customer , Gen. Sec of Kashmiri Fed. told me he collected 2,ooooo pounds in one day , he was crying with hapiness .
The two box in my shop displays a small note ,
` Abhi Nahi tu Kabhi Nahin , Agar App nay mulk ke ajj madad nahin ke tu app Pakistani kehlanay kay la-yekh- nahin rahah-en-gay , hum kabhi bhe British nahin ban saktay kyoon kay hum `British Pakistani` hain , thay aur rahangay`

Re: # 21

Bhatti Sahib,

I spoke with my relatives two nights ago to find out their Khay Khariat, as our village is not too far from Islamabad. All is well there, and my cousin told me that our Pind`s Molvi Sahib gathered a group of 20 or so young men (late teens, early 20s) to take them to the affected area to take on EQ widows as wives. Last night I was learnt that their caravan was met by a group of Pathans and they had to turn back to get medical attention for some sort of soreness. Bhatti Sahib, our people always come to help of our people even if it results in a little pain in the ass.

is there a point to this article besides giving hoodbhoy a chance to blow his own trumpet? and i can almost see washington post editors getting in touch with him to ask him for an expose on pak army and the zalzala.

unlike likes of hoodbhoy and asma jehangir, people who make a difference never seek publicity. couple of my pakistani investment banking acquaintences have raised tens of millions of rupees from their firms. i can guarantee you will not see their names in the press.

#19 heart wrenching stories. about survivors...human spirit is amazing.

Romair, I have said it more than once in last 5 days that Pak awaam deserves all the appreciation for extending their help and heart out to the victims..there is no doubt about it...why you keep missing it and coming back to refering me as someone I am not? anyhow, My axis to grind is aginst few people who do little and make too much noise to reap awards and their motiavations for charity are political in nature....even our Dilli paie is getting erections thinking 2 or 3 sikhs helped.

Anyway..providing biscuits and kambals to the survivors will not solve their problems in the long run. It is good relief work by individuals at initial stage when everyone is in shock and out of food and clothes but after that immediate need is over a fully organized and disciplined rehabiliation program is needed. Individuals can help in the funding and background work but this desire to personally hand over your kambal and bag of cookies to the victim and getting appreciated for it is what I am against. lot of people doing that will not be seen in few weeks anywhere near there.

as usual everything in Pakistan is rotten. everyone is corrupt - the army, the government, the moulvies, relief agencies. heck even the people who died are corrupt.

at a time like this, only one man stands between Pakistan and armageddon and he is Dr. Pervez Hoodboy.

A true martyr......

He says he heard his 22-year-old teacher, Miss Kenza, shouting that she was alive, but as the hours passed the shouts stopped.

The French doubt that it could have been Miss Kenza who Shameer heard. They believe she died instantly.

``Her body was covering two children,`` said Mr Mornat. ``The first was dead but the second was alive. We think that she died trying to shield them as the building collapsed.``

BBC: Tale of the last survivor

A cruel blow...

over 10,000 est. students and teachers killed>

...Schools and colleges in the region`s capital, Muzaffarabad, and surrounding towns and villages were packed when the quake brought most of them crashing down.
left the devastated area for other parts of Pakistan.

Senior education department officials were unavailable for comment and no one knows the quake`s true toll but Shah (principal of the wrecked Government Education College in Muzaffarabad, the region`s teacher training college) estimated 10,000 students and teachers were killed.

The official death toll in Pakistani Kashmir stands at 25,000. But some local officials and politicians say deaths could exceed 40,000. Another 1,200 died in Indian Kashmir.

Shah is proud of Pakistani Kashmir`s education record, saying the region`s literacy rate is 65 percent and primary school enrolment nearly 95 percent. But most of those schools, as well as colleges and the city`s university are now in ruins.

``Buildings were constructed, teachers were trained, audio-visual aids were bought and libraries were established,`` he said.

But all that now lies in ruins.

Rescue teams have been digging the bodies of children out of schools across the region over recent days as distraught parents and relatives look on. Hundreds of bodies still lie under the rubble.

A British rescue worker said 900 children were killed in one school alone, most crushed to death at their desks as their school collapsed on top of them.

``The infrastructure was destroyed, including the education department, and the talented people were lost. It will take much time to improve,`` Shah told Reuters outside his shared tent in a city park. His house was destroyed in the quake.

``It is the greatest loss. We lost our talent, our future,`` he said. ``I feel quite miserable and sorrowful. It pains me very much.``

Shah said he had no idea who was alive or dead.

The headmaster of a middle school just outside Muzaffarabad said he was at work when the quake stuck but managed to rush out of the building to safety.

Saeed Bukhari`s school escaped relatively lightly. Out of 150 children, 25 were killed and 72 injured. Two of his 15 teachers were killed, he said.

``Unfortunately the cream of the generation has gone. It is a great loss,`` said Bukhari, who is also living out of an army tent in the city-centre Jalal Abad park.

``It will take much time,`` Bukhari said when asked how long it might take the education system to recover. ``There`s no government, no administration or law and order,`` he said.

Some had lucky escapes.

Shah`s son, Mubashar, is doing a masters degree in business studies at Muzaffarabad`s university and was on the way to classes when the quake struck.

``That day I was late,`` he said. His college was destroyed.

Re: # 15
Thanks A LOT for this!

Great article. Its really too bad that some of the readers on this board can`t bear to be reminded of how each major manipulating entity in Pakistan has worked in the past. The people of Pakistan and in the diaspora need to be vigilant that the supplies and funds meant for the earthquake survivors are received only by them with only our prayers and thoughts for their wellbeing.

Millions of dollars spent on destroying countries or having the ability to destroy our planet and nothing to look after the people of your country. This is inexcusable.

Dear Inter-actors:

I received the following information through an e-mail forwarded to me by some kind soul. Please contribute to the relief effort as much as you may afford. This is the least that we can do for easing the sufferings of the earthquake survivors.

Mohammad Gill


Pakistan earthquake relief instructions


Dear All,

This has to be quick.

We finally have a university van which we will take to Balakot in a few
hours from now and, hopefully, a hired truck as well. Subsequent rounds
will have different teams, with one common member for continuity. The road
is now open, from what we hear.

This morning I was able to persuade the QAU vice-chancellor to sanction
use of the van and open an official university account entitled ``QAU-EAF
Earthquake Relief Fund``. So, the money sent to the Eqbal Ahmad Foundation
(see instructions at the very end of this email) will be transferred
directly into this account to be jointly operated by the university
treasurer, the president of the academic staff association, and myself.
You now have all the details that you need. If there are further questions
on the procedure, please contact Dr. Zia Mian . I will
not be able to respond to emails for a while.

The Azad Kashmir VC in Muzzafarabad called the QAU VC while I was waiting
for the signatures to be done. He was pleading for students from QAU to
come and dig out some 300 university girls still buried under the rubble.
Some of our students have already gone there, but the problem is the
stench of rotting corpses. Nature continues to be needlessly cruel. There
was rain and hail this afternoon in Islamabad, and probably north of here
as well. I hope our 6-hour drive tomorrow will not be too problematic.

I am happy to say that my university students, who I have so often said
are disappointing academically, are nevertheless full of spirit and vigour
in helping in the relief effort. We have repeatedly had to turn down their
offers to help for lack of capacity.

Thank you again for your contributions, which keep increasing. After the
immediate crisis passes, we will use the remainder to rebuild
infrastructure. Several of you are not Pakistanis, and your solidarity in
these desperate moments is appreciated even more. It reinforces hope in
our shared humanity.

With warm regards,

Pervez

---

Pervez Hoodbhoy
Professor of Physics
Quaid-e-Azam University
Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
Phone (R): 92-51-2824257
Phone (O): 92-51-2829914

---

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEPOSIT


1. Please make CHECKS payable to `` EAF - EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND ``


2. Please PRINT OUT, SIGN and MAIL the following form, along with your
check :

Enclosed is a donation of

---

to the EAF - Earthquake Relief Fund.
I understand that this money will be used solely for the purpose of
purchasing and distributing earthquake relief and rehabilitation supplies
in Pakistan.

Name (please print):

---

Signature:

---

Address :

---

3. Please mail your check and this form to: Eqbal Ahmad Foundation
P.O. Box 222
Princeton, NJ 08542


The Eqbal Ahmad Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under section
501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. Therefore, your donation is tax
deductible. If you wish to receive a letter acknowledging your donation
for tax purposes, please include your mailing address.


For tax purposes, all donation over $250 must include your name and
mailing address.


Should you have any questions about how to make or send a donation, please
contact the Foundation`s Vice President, Zia Mian, at zia@princeton.edu

Pervez Hoodbhoy...
Thanks for your post and for your work in the relief effort. And thanks, too, to the organizers of Chowk for their contributions and for posting the ``Links for Donations.`` Making a donation on-line is simple, quick and oh-so-easy. mirmir