Thursday, January 26, 2006
7.6!
I learnt about the earthquake, when Madi sent me an SMS from Karachi asking me to check on my folks back in Mirpur and Islamabad. Ironically, I got the SMS as I sat with the morning paper, reading about the tragedies of the day before.
Understandably, my reflex action was to start calling home, but all lines were jammed, and I could get through to niether home, nor my sibling based in Islamabad. There were moments of despair, and frantic praying, as attempt after attempt at calling home failed. Finally, I got through to both places, and was relieved to know that everyone in my family was safe and sound, and that our city Mirpur had been spared the severity which had jolted Muzaffarabad, Rawlakot, Baagh, Mansehra, Abbotabad, and so many other cities of the country.
Friends started calling in, and the duo M&K were the first two people to call, one after the other, may Allah bless them for their kindness, generosity, love and affection. I went about checking on the few other people I knew from the affected areas, and thankfully, no-one I knew was affected directly by this catastrophe. When I say affected directly, I mean no-one had lost any of their near and dear ones to the earthquake.
Quite a few people reported damage to property, and when at 10:00 p.m. here, I met Shah Saab, who hails from Abbotabad, and has family residing there, he told me that his folks were sitting out in the cold, under pouring skies, because till about half an hour ago, they had been getting the tremors at regular intervals. Abbotabad is up in north, and winter has already set in there. Nightime temperatures hover around zero degree centigrade, which makes sitting under the rain at night no mean feat. It was only then that the true magnitude of the catastrophe began to sink in. May Allah have mercy on people trapped in these conditions, and may He make the ordeal easy for them.
Fact is, I am still over whelmed by the tragedy, and the challenges it poses for the people affected by it. After the initial shock of casualties is overcome, and it is not a shock easy to overcome, thousands and thousands of people must muster the courage, and find the resilience to set out on the uphill task of rebuilding their lives - a task easier said than done, especially so for those people, who even before they were pulled into misery by the loss of their loved ones, and their homes and places of work, had little to celebrate. People, who after a lifetime of toiling and suffering had mudbrick houses for their ‘property’, and a change of clothes for wardrobe.
The live coverage beamed by the Pakistani channels had me under the impression that the worst consequence of the earthquake had been the crumbling of the Margalla Towers’ block. I can understand that MT was the easiest to access site of damage, and of course there is no undermining the tragedy that has struck the families residing in those 60 apartments. However, Margalla Towers was singled out in the coverage in such a way that it pretty much seemed like the epicentre of the earthquake had been the MT rather than an area 90 miles away. The President and the Prime Minister issued statements standing in the rubble of what was once the prestigious MT, and every newschannel telecast pictures of MT as it covered the earthquake. Sure, there were footages from the Muzaffarabad hospitals, and other places, but it would all come back to MT as if all else was secondary and the primary scene of destruction was MT. Perhaps, the coverage could have been more spread out.
The people living in those mud houses in villages are affected as much by this calamity as are the people of MT, and in times like these it is the poor who need additional coverage so there plight cab be brought to fore, and aid and assistance can be mobilized for them. Hopefully, the survivors from those luxury apartments, will have some sort of financial cushioning to fall back on, while people who lived in mudhouses might just have lost everything, and may need to start from scratch. Both these people, the poor and not so poor, have lost loved ones, and any surity of tomorrow they might have had prior to this tragedy, and in these times will need their fellow countrymen, their fellow Muslim brethren to stand fast by them, and to reach out to them with a helping hand.
This Ramadan, more than ever before, we need to exhibit the spirit of Ramadan - the spririt that requires us to empathise with those who have lost, and those who do not have enough, the spirit that needs us to sacrifice our comforts to bring comfort to those who have not seen it or lost it. This Ramadan our cause, and that of the affectees of this earthquake, will be better served if we make an even more concerted effort to stop our excesses, excesses that unfortunately have become synonymous with Ramadan, contrary to the very spirit of this holy month, and pour our resources in to help our brethren in need.
The morning newspapers today put the death toll from the earthquake at close to 20,000, and counting. There are four times as many injured. The sheer numbers are heart breaking. However, for those brothers and sisters, who are blessed with the means to donate, and/or the will to sacrifice, these numbers also represent the number of opportunities we have of redeeming ourselves - so let us stop and think, do we really need that extra pair of clothes we are about to spend money on? Must we wear new clothes this Eid? Is there a blanket in our house that would do better keeping a brother or sister back home warm? Are there any warm clothes in your wardrobe you can do without, but your brother or sister affected by the earthquake can’t?
From today onwards, we must realize that every penny that we plan spending might just have a better use in the earthquake areas, and that every dirham spent unnecesarilyt has an opportunity cost, our brothers and sisters in our country cannot afford.
May Allah guide us all, and give us all the strength and conviction to perform our duties.
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19 Responses to '7.6!'
1SaadatOctober 10th, 2005 at 7:28 am
It is so good to hear that your loved ones are safe, alhamdulillah.
And I agree, the collapse of Margalla Towers is sad, but people in the northern areas are the ones who are affected the worst. Rescue teams have started working in those areas, although they are late, but I hope that the people who survived the accident don’t have to suffer any more.
May Allah have mercy on us all. Ameen.
2knicqOctober 10th, 2005 at 7:38 am
Assalam U Alaikum Chotey Bhai,
And it is wonderful to know you and your family are all safe and sound. I have been trying to post a comment on your blog for ages now, but it just disappears everytime. I try thrice and move on. f5 does not help.
We have just got pictures of Balakot, the whole town flattened with hardly a building intact. It is all so heart-wrenching.
On the other hand, international aid has started ‘pouring in’ with the US pledging USD 100,000! They spend billions on destroying countries and nations, and when it comes to humaitarian aid, they cough up a measly 100,000, which is a fraction of what the UAE Expat Pakistani community alone is pledging.
Ireland on the other hand has pledged a million euros!
I wish our government could have appreciated the US government’s gesture, but politely declined the peanuts…I am sure the US can use this 100,000 in rebuilding New Orleans.
I am disgusted.
3SaadieOctober 10th, 2005 at 1:00 pm
Yea good to hear that your family is safe, alhamdulillah. But seriously I totally agreewith every word you have said, this is the time we need to do a lot. I think MT was covered more because first of all it was in the capital and secondly there was no easy access to northern areas specially in first few hours but yea scenes from northern area are quite devastating
4JBOctober 10th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
Furthermore, MT kinda reminds one of another smashed down with a powerful prez consoling his people, hence provides a really great photo-op.
When the helicopters of the govt bigwigs were hoovering over Muzzafarabad, Abbotabad e.t.c people below were still waiting for blankets/ medicens e.t.c. I wonder what stopped Mushi and Shoki to send a copule of balnkets and supplies by thier helicopters insted of flying around aimlessly and posing for the TV crew inside the chopper. Finally they were able to send 2000 blankets and 6000 kafans to muzafafrabad by PST:2200
5knicqOctober 10th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Saadie: May Allah have mercy on all those affected by this devastating catastrophe. Thanks for your comment.
JB: The thought of those TV crews taken along so they could show the President and the PM glancing down at the affected areas is disgusting. Mushy, much like his retarded Bushy Bhai, seems to have lost it all…didn’t Bush ask his plane to fly a few thousand feet lower so h could catch a glimpse of New Orleans?
Mushy must be proud of himself - he got the coverage that Bushy had got in two calamities in one calamity.
Once again let me suggest a shift in focus here. Mushy and Bushy are inherent challenges the world must face as it goes about its business - for everything that Mushy has not done, there’s a hundred that an average Pakistani is doing or is trying to do. Let us take our motivation from there.
6yasmineOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:00 am
Knicq bhai, I hadn’t realized you had family in Islamabad, but alhamdulillah I’m glad to hear they’re safe. JazakAllah khayr for this post - you wrote so much of what I wanted to say, but so much better than I could have put it.
7UsmanOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:04 am
Assalaam Alaikum baray bhai….
Alhamdulillah good to hear everyone on your side is safe. I cant add anythign more to what you’ve said except its time we dug in deep into our pockets and did what we should. Donate whatever and however much we can.
May Allah have mercy on us all.
8SaadieOctober 11th, 2005 at 10:39 am
“Once again let me suggest a shift in focus here. Mushy and Bushy are inherent challenges the world must face as it goes about its business - for everything that Mushy has not done, there’s a hundred that an average Pakistani is doing or is trying to do. Let us take our motivation from there.” Agreed
9FelicityOctober 11th, 2005 at 2:21 pm
Forgive me for not partaking in the Musharaf/Bush Bashing. Just to update…. the US revised it’s aid pledge to USD$50 Million.
Personally I think the initial reports did not accurately depict the extensive damage and loss of life that occurred simply because those northern areas were inaccessible, landlines were brought down and in general communication had broken-down. I don’t think that anyone had thought that things would get this bad.
Camera crews follow along the president not just to document him… but because his was the first helicopter flight they could actually get on to document the damage that had occurred. Once the news got out, people have been giving like crazy and oh so generously… but the problem so far remains that getting relief to those areas remains a logistical nightmare. What good would a couple of blankets do to a hundred people besides encourage a fight? That has happened…. as the relief effort finally got through, people fought with each other over rice bags. And before any relief could have gone underway… a survey was necessary.
So far the only means we had to get the appropriate amount of relief to those areas were by road. Those roads are treacherous. They showed a picture of one of the army trucks that the BBC correspondent says “tried to rush it” to get to the relief goods it was carrying to those mountainous locations…. the truck had a rollover on it’s way.
Lets not be naive. Lets judge the relief effort by the ground conditions that exist there right now. The terrain is deadly with all the landslides… not helped by heavy thunderstorms and rain in the area which quite possibly may make visibility poor. Lets judge it by the means we have or lack thereof to tackle it. The prez went on CNN practically begging for heavy-lift Cargo helicopters to transport aid to those damage hit regions. I know when things are bad people get emotional and especially when you’re under a make-shift tent, injured, have lost everything and possibly also family members and loved ones and having to spend the night in freezing temperatures and rain, nothing seems fast enough. But we must realize that the government is doing all it can. I came across a blog by an Islamabad resident who documented the time of tremors and the damage info he would hear about. For almost half the day, the info was sketchy and while there were some reports of villages being wiped out, initially it was thought these were the scantily populated localities. Initial reports did estimate the death toll to only be in the hundreds…. by nightfall they estimated it would near a thousand. I don’t think that anyone had figured it might reach tens of thousands.
We have friends here whose family home in Muzzafarbad is completely totaled. His grandmother and some other family members are injured and their house is reduced to rubble.This guy has an uncle in the military and for two days he has been trying to get two trucks filled with aid to Muzzafarbad and possibly get some people out of there but the roads are so bad it hasn’t been possible so far. I tell you this just to show that even those who have relatives in those remote areas and who have the means to do something about it haven’t been able to help them as fast as they would like. Unlike the failure of the US government to provide relief to the New Orleans victims, the failure to respond we face in our country is not a result of complacency or bureaucracy. It is a result of not having enough means or money. The president said he had enough manpower, he needed the equipment and he needed the money. The guy took advantage of being the Chief of army to immediately mobilize and utilize army resources.
Think of it this way, the President has accomplished more in the past three days in the way of clearing road obstructions and reaching the affected northern locations than the US had for it’s own people in New Orleans, considering New Orleans was waaaay more accessible than most of the earthquake hit regions of Pakistan, and the US had all the means in the world at it’s disposal to use… after all, it owns them. Lets give the President some credit. Lets not bash him simply for being a US ally, which, lets face it, is perhaps what most motivates this president bashing.
Why must we be a nation of finger pointers and bad-mouthers? Right now, even our neighboring enemy has offered us aid. It’s a time when the world is coming together, when all differences and lines of contention are forgotten and forgone, and here we are pointing fingers and bad-mouthing our own. I am one for raising our voices against injustices and frauds committed by higher authorities at the expense of the general public, but I firmly believe this is not the time, mostly because I don’t think the president deserves this right now. This has nothing to do with my opinion of his alliance with the US… it has everything to do with how I think he is fairing in providing relief given the country’s existing limitations. I spoke to my mother-in-law in Karachi and she says people are giving like never before. Lets indulge in the spirit of giving rather than in this finger-pointing game.
As far the US is concerned… lets first decide what we think of the US. we continuously bad mouth it. We wish to have nothing to do with it and that it not meddle in our affairs and after all that we expect that it help us out in the time of trouble. Like I said, I do not condone any wrong that the US has committed, and we have every right to express our disagreement, but we do go far beyond expressing our disagreement on to verbal abuse akin to effigy and US flag burning. Disagree by all means, Be angry by all means, but how much would you want to help out a person if he continuously badmouths you.
We’re Muslims and are supposedly to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (SW) who showed kindness to the lady who would throw trash on him everyday as he passed by her house and went in to see how she was doing when one day she wasn’t there to throw trash on him as usual.But we don’t show any such kindness, but we expect that the “infidel” US should. Why do we expect the US to act more Islamic than ourselves? I’m not defending the US but I can’t join in the verbal bashing by people who themselves cannot claim the higher moral standards that they desire the US to exhibit.
On a personal note, I thought of you as soon as I heard the news… just never got around to writing to you. I’m glad everyone is okay and safe. This is so tragic. Entire communities have vanished. It’s painful to watch. My heart breaks and I cry so much as I watch the news. We cling to so much that’s material and we never realize we can lose it in an instant. I don’t know if this is a test for our nation or if it’s punishment. I don’t know if it’s fair or unfair. I just know it’s painful to know that those who have miraculously managed to survive have lost everything… their homes and their loved ones, and I sometimes wonder if death may have been a greater mercy on them. We take for granted the presence of our loved ones… we don’t know what calamity might fall and take them away from us. When you give to your fellow country men in this time of need, remember to give a call to your loved ones living away from you and a hug to those living with you. You don’t want them to leave this world not knowing how much you really love them. Put aside your differences and give to your loved ones all the love you have in your heart… while you still have the chance.
Take care and be safe.
10FelicityOctober 11th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Oh… and sorry for taking up so much space in your comment page. I believe my comment is longer than your blog!
11knicqOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
Thanks Felicity for your very well written, and very much required comment.
I am too drained emotionally by the footages we have seen on GEO and ARY, to even get started on a debate on whether or not the President has done enough.
But for the record, I agree with everything you have said about the ground realities in Pakistan, and the commendable job, given the circumstances, done by the authorities. My last comment was nothing but a vieled request to move away from this president/government authority bashing.
However, i adisagree with your analysis of our attitude to the US here. I do not expect the US to live up to the higher moral standards - I am just appalled by the disparity in efforts the US puts in in “liberating” oil rich people from ex Allies (Osama and Saddam), and in rescuing “third world” people devastated by natural calamities.
How is it that the US with its world renowned satellite systems that can track WMDs mounted on vehicles, was not aware of the extent of this calamity? USD 100,000, upped to USD 50 Million!!!
The UAE pledged USD 100 Million!
The US did appropriate billions of dollars worth of budgets to liberate the Iraqis, didn’t it? Iraqis, people who were not really in desparate need of that bombing campaign those billions went into orchestrating. They sent out the whole blooming US Airforce to bomb people - and now they could muster 8 helicopters!
I have no ambition of US bashing here…I just intend to underline the reason behind our ‘dissatisfaction’ with the US. I am out of words, short of breath. Hope you can see what I am trying to say here.
Thank you very much for the comment - I wish you would comment more often…you know that. Take all the space you want - your comments make for better reading than the posts anyway.
Remember us all in your prayers.
12knicqOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:07 pm
Yasmine: My sister is based in Islamabad, and the rest of the family in Mirpur AJK. Thank you for your kind words…I doubt there is anything I could write that you, or my friend Felicity here amongst many others, couldn’t write loads better…:)
Usman: Thanks so much for the comment bro. My dial up would not load your blog yesterday, and I was worried about you, and your family. I am so glad to know all’s well at your end too. Ammen to your duas.
Saadie:
13mnmOctober 12th, 2005 at 8:04 am
knicq bhai, glad to know all is well with your family. we have been hearing of ppl here losing several members in muzaffarabad too. may Allah have mercy on them and help those who have survived, and give us the heart and health to help generously.
14knicqOctober 12th, 2005 at 12:51 pm
Baji, many thanks for your kindness. It is a collossal tragedy, the magnitude of which is still unfolding…I am surprised we are still not hearing anything from Rawlakot, which was initially reported to have been severely hit.
Ameen and Thumma Ameen to your prayers.
I have seen acts of such genrosity which are hard to describe in words. e.g. A client of mine, hailing from Karachi, has asked me to refer to him at least one affected family, which has lost the bread winner, and he plans to sponsor them for life, or until the time the children are grown up, educated, and married off. He pleaded with me to revert to him ASAP. If most people bestowewd with Allah’s bounty followed suit, the magnitude of this tragedy could be minimized.
A well-off colleague from Venenzuela emptied her wallet to add to contributions, while a Palestinian sister donated big in cash and blankets both.
There are countless people going about collecting donations, and offering volunteer services.
There’s a Lebanese Christian client/friend of mine, who has asked me to just tell him when and where to contribute.
All of this, in these tragic times, gives one hope that all is still not lost.
15knicqOctober 12th, 2005 at 1:35 pm
On the other hand, just came across this, which was posted by a sister from AJK, residing in UK, I think…
Quote“do u people know wts happening around?at this hour, during so much hype and tension,when everybody has seen that life is so unpredictable.nothing works when HE decides to call u back*one person sold 8 coffins in Islamabad for RS 18000/-*in Karachi one coffin of 100-300 rs are now sold for rs700/- to 1200/-*In Mansehra group of gunned man looted two trucks which were taking goods for relief work,police did come to rescue afterwards to protect the remainig ones but they can’t do everything everywhere*In Muzzafarabad the professionals who bathe the bodies(MAYYATS) have taken away all the gold things of bodies*The buses which used to take Rs32-100/- to take ppl from Mirpur to Muzzafarabad are charging rs500/- and the buses which wud take 300/- to take ppl from Islamabad to Muzzafarabad are taking rs 1400/-Mu frnds they r no rumors as i m only writing down the authentic events which my frnds in Rawlakot and Muzzafabad reported back.I m not trying to hold down ur morale but seriously why don’t we think that the only thing which can save us now is the reward v may earn by helping these people. This is not the sign of QAYAMAT this is QAYAMUTTp bring you all uptodate now v need**Medicines-anti biotics,anti allergics,for TB cure,for fever & cold cure, Vitamins,painkillers,Gkucose drips**manpower to work at different camps and Base Faisal to organise the stuff**trucks to take things will someone please bear the expenses of trucks and make arrangements for the collected things at various camps to be taken awayDONT DONATE MONEY CONCENTRATE ON ABOVE MENTIONED STUFF.MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU BACK FOR ALL THE GOOD U DO AND MAY HE SEND DOWN HIS MERCY AND DIVINE HELP FOR THE VICTIMS AND HELPER”Unquote
Just when we were begining to think we had risen above our petty corruption…this is so sad.
16SaadieOctober 12th, 2005 at 6:38 pm
There are always black sheeps in a society, inshAllah everything will be fine.
17AbezOctober 15th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
HF told me everyone in your family was alright and I was relieved Bhai, and may Allah bless and guide us all to the correct course of action that earns His mercy and helps others in need InshaAllah.
18SaadieOctober 22nd, 2005 at 1:22 pm
updates?
19knicqOctober 22nd, 2005 at 3:22 pm
Saadie: I have been oscillating between hope and despair as on the one hand wonderful stories of selfless dedication have unfolded in front of me or reached me, and as on the other hand we have heard of those black sheep. It takes every ounce of my resolve not to curse those people whose blackened hearts are no touched even by the magnitude of this tragedy…:(
Litle Baji, Ameen to your prayers. ¶ 1/26/2006 02:14:00 AM
Understandably, my reflex action was to start calling home, but all lines were jammed, and I could get through to niether home, nor my sibling based in Islamabad. There were moments of despair, and frantic praying, as attempt after attempt at calling home failed. Finally, I got through to both places, and was relieved to know that everyone in my family was safe and sound, and that our city Mirpur had been spared the severity which had jolted Muzaffarabad, Rawlakot, Baagh, Mansehra, Abbotabad, and so many other cities of the country.
Friends started calling in, and the duo M&K were the first two people to call, one after the other, may Allah bless them for their kindness, generosity, love and affection. I went about checking on the few other people I knew from the affected areas, and thankfully, no-one I knew was affected directly by this catastrophe. When I say affected directly, I mean no-one had lost any of their near and dear ones to the earthquake.
Quite a few people reported damage to property, and when at 10:00 p.m. here, I met Shah Saab, who hails from Abbotabad, and has family residing there, he told me that his folks were sitting out in the cold, under pouring skies, because till about half an hour ago, they had been getting the tremors at regular intervals. Abbotabad is up in north, and winter has already set in there. Nightime temperatures hover around zero degree centigrade, which makes sitting under the rain at night no mean feat. It was only then that the true magnitude of the catastrophe began to sink in. May Allah have mercy on people trapped in these conditions, and may He make the ordeal easy for them.
Fact is, I am still over whelmed by the tragedy, and the challenges it poses for the people affected by it. After the initial shock of casualties is overcome, and it is not a shock easy to overcome, thousands and thousands of people must muster the courage, and find the resilience to set out on the uphill task of rebuilding their lives - a task easier said than done, especially so for those people, who even before they were pulled into misery by the loss of their loved ones, and their homes and places of work, had little to celebrate. People, who after a lifetime of toiling and suffering had mudbrick houses for their ‘property’, and a change of clothes for wardrobe.
The live coverage beamed by the Pakistani channels had me under the impression that the worst consequence of the earthquake had been the crumbling of the Margalla Towers’ block. I can understand that MT was the easiest to access site of damage, and of course there is no undermining the tragedy that has struck the families residing in those 60 apartments. However, Margalla Towers was singled out in the coverage in such a way that it pretty much seemed like the epicentre of the earthquake had been the MT rather than an area 90 miles away. The President and the Prime Minister issued statements standing in the rubble of what was once the prestigious MT, and every newschannel telecast pictures of MT as it covered the earthquake. Sure, there were footages from the Muzaffarabad hospitals, and other places, but it would all come back to MT as if all else was secondary and the primary scene of destruction was MT. Perhaps, the coverage could have been more spread out.
The people living in those mud houses in villages are affected as much by this calamity as are the people of MT, and in times like these it is the poor who need additional coverage so there plight cab be brought to fore, and aid and assistance can be mobilized for them. Hopefully, the survivors from those luxury apartments, will have some sort of financial cushioning to fall back on, while people who lived in mudhouses might just have lost everything, and may need to start from scratch. Both these people, the poor and not so poor, have lost loved ones, and any surity of tomorrow they might have had prior to this tragedy, and in these times will need their fellow countrymen, their fellow Muslim brethren to stand fast by them, and to reach out to them with a helping hand.
This Ramadan, more than ever before, we need to exhibit the spirit of Ramadan - the spririt that requires us to empathise with those who have lost, and those who do not have enough, the spirit that needs us to sacrifice our comforts to bring comfort to those who have not seen it or lost it. This Ramadan our cause, and that of the affectees of this earthquake, will be better served if we make an even more concerted effort to stop our excesses, excesses that unfortunately have become synonymous with Ramadan, contrary to the very spirit of this holy month, and pour our resources in to help our brethren in need.
The morning newspapers today put the death toll from the earthquake at close to 20,000, and counting. There are four times as many injured. The sheer numbers are heart breaking. However, for those brothers and sisters, who are blessed with the means to donate, and/or the will to sacrifice, these numbers also represent the number of opportunities we have of redeeming ourselves - so let us stop and think, do we really need that extra pair of clothes we are about to spend money on? Must we wear new clothes this Eid? Is there a blanket in our house that would do better keeping a brother or sister back home warm? Are there any warm clothes in your wardrobe you can do without, but your brother or sister affected by the earthquake can’t?
From today onwards, we must realize that every penny that we plan spending might just have a better use in the earthquake areas, and that every dirham spent unnecesarilyt has an opportunity cost, our brothers and sisters in our country cannot afford.
May Allah guide us all, and give us all the strength and conviction to perform our duties.
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19 Responses to '7.6!'
1SaadatOctober 10th, 2005 at 7:28 am
It is so good to hear that your loved ones are safe, alhamdulillah.
And I agree, the collapse of Margalla Towers is sad, but people in the northern areas are the ones who are affected the worst. Rescue teams have started working in those areas, although they are late, but I hope that the people who survived the accident don’t have to suffer any more.
May Allah have mercy on us all. Ameen.
2knicqOctober 10th, 2005 at 7:38 am
Assalam U Alaikum Chotey Bhai,
And it is wonderful to know you and your family are all safe and sound. I have been trying to post a comment on your blog for ages now, but it just disappears everytime. I try thrice and move on. f5 does not help.
We have just got pictures of Balakot, the whole town flattened with hardly a building intact. It is all so heart-wrenching.
On the other hand, international aid has started ‘pouring in’ with the US pledging USD 100,000! They spend billions on destroying countries and nations, and when it comes to humaitarian aid, they cough up a measly 100,000, which is a fraction of what the UAE Expat Pakistani community alone is pledging.
Ireland on the other hand has pledged a million euros!
I wish our government could have appreciated the US government’s gesture, but politely declined the peanuts…I am sure the US can use this 100,000 in rebuilding New Orleans.
I am disgusted.
3SaadieOctober 10th, 2005 at 1:00 pm
Yea good to hear that your family is safe, alhamdulillah. But seriously I totally agreewith every word you have said, this is the time we need to do a lot. I think MT was covered more because first of all it was in the capital and secondly there was no easy access to northern areas specially in first few hours but yea scenes from northern area are quite devastating
4JBOctober 10th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
Furthermore, MT kinda reminds one of another smashed down with a powerful prez consoling his people, hence provides a really great photo-op.
When the helicopters of the govt bigwigs were hoovering over Muzzafarabad, Abbotabad e.t.c people below were still waiting for blankets/ medicens e.t.c. I wonder what stopped Mushi and Shoki to send a copule of balnkets and supplies by thier helicopters insted of flying around aimlessly and posing for the TV crew inside the chopper. Finally they were able to send 2000 blankets and 6000 kafans to muzafafrabad by PST:2200
5knicqOctober 10th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Saadie: May Allah have mercy on all those affected by this devastating catastrophe. Thanks for your comment.
JB: The thought of those TV crews taken along so they could show the President and the PM glancing down at the affected areas is disgusting. Mushy, much like his retarded Bushy Bhai, seems to have lost it all…didn’t Bush ask his plane to fly a few thousand feet lower so h could catch a glimpse of New Orleans?
Mushy must be proud of himself - he got the coverage that Bushy had got in two calamities in one calamity.
Once again let me suggest a shift in focus here. Mushy and Bushy are inherent challenges the world must face as it goes about its business - for everything that Mushy has not done, there’s a hundred that an average Pakistani is doing or is trying to do. Let us take our motivation from there.
6yasmineOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:00 am
Knicq bhai, I hadn’t realized you had family in Islamabad, but alhamdulillah I’m glad to hear they’re safe. JazakAllah khayr for this post - you wrote so much of what I wanted to say, but so much better than I could have put it.
7UsmanOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:04 am
Assalaam Alaikum baray bhai….
Alhamdulillah good to hear everyone on your side is safe. I cant add anythign more to what you’ve said except its time we dug in deep into our pockets and did what we should. Donate whatever and however much we can.
May Allah have mercy on us all.
8SaadieOctober 11th, 2005 at 10:39 am
“Once again let me suggest a shift in focus here. Mushy and Bushy are inherent challenges the world must face as it goes about its business - for everything that Mushy has not done, there’s a hundred that an average Pakistani is doing or is trying to do. Let us take our motivation from there.” Agreed
9FelicityOctober 11th, 2005 at 2:21 pm
Forgive me for not partaking in the Musharaf/Bush Bashing. Just to update…. the US revised it’s aid pledge to USD$50 Million.
Personally I think the initial reports did not accurately depict the extensive damage and loss of life that occurred simply because those northern areas were inaccessible, landlines were brought down and in general communication had broken-down. I don’t think that anyone had thought that things would get this bad.
Camera crews follow along the president not just to document him… but because his was the first helicopter flight they could actually get on to document the damage that had occurred. Once the news got out, people have been giving like crazy and oh so generously… but the problem so far remains that getting relief to those areas remains a logistical nightmare. What good would a couple of blankets do to a hundred people besides encourage a fight? That has happened…. as the relief effort finally got through, people fought with each other over rice bags. And before any relief could have gone underway… a survey was necessary.
So far the only means we had to get the appropriate amount of relief to those areas were by road. Those roads are treacherous. They showed a picture of one of the army trucks that the BBC correspondent says “tried to rush it” to get to the relief goods it was carrying to those mountainous locations…. the truck had a rollover on it’s way.
Lets not be naive. Lets judge the relief effort by the ground conditions that exist there right now. The terrain is deadly with all the landslides… not helped by heavy thunderstorms and rain in the area which quite possibly may make visibility poor. Lets judge it by the means we have or lack thereof to tackle it. The prez went on CNN practically begging for heavy-lift Cargo helicopters to transport aid to those damage hit regions. I know when things are bad people get emotional and especially when you’re under a make-shift tent, injured, have lost everything and possibly also family members and loved ones and having to spend the night in freezing temperatures and rain, nothing seems fast enough. But we must realize that the government is doing all it can. I came across a blog by an Islamabad resident who documented the time of tremors and the damage info he would hear about. For almost half the day, the info was sketchy and while there were some reports of villages being wiped out, initially it was thought these were the scantily populated localities. Initial reports did estimate the death toll to only be in the hundreds…. by nightfall they estimated it would near a thousand. I don’t think that anyone had figured it might reach tens of thousands.
We have friends here whose family home in Muzzafarbad is completely totaled. His grandmother and some other family members are injured and their house is reduced to rubble.This guy has an uncle in the military and for two days he has been trying to get two trucks filled with aid to Muzzafarbad and possibly get some people out of there but the roads are so bad it hasn’t been possible so far. I tell you this just to show that even those who have relatives in those remote areas and who have the means to do something about it haven’t been able to help them as fast as they would like. Unlike the failure of the US government to provide relief to the New Orleans victims, the failure to respond we face in our country is not a result of complacency or bureaucracy. It is a result of not having enough means or money. The president said he had enough manpower, he needed the equipment and he needed the money. The guy took advantage of being the Chief of army to immediately mobilize and utilize army resources.
Think of it this way, the President has accomplished more in the past three days in the way of clearing road obstructions and reaching the affected northern locations than the US had for it’s own people in New Orleans, considering New Orleans was waaaay more accessible than most of the earthquake hit regions of Pakistan, and the US had all the means in the world at it’s disposal to use… after all, it owns them. Lets give the President some credit. Lets not bash him simply for being a US ally, which, lets face it, is perhaps what most motivates this president bashing.
Why must we be a nation of finger pointers and bad-mouthers? Right now, even our neighboring enemy has offered us aid. It’s a time when the world is coming together, when all differences and lines of contention are forgotten and forgone, and here we are pointing fingers and bad-mouthing our own. I am one for raising our voices against injustices and frauds committed by higher authorities at the expense of the general public, but I firmly believe this is not the time, mostly because I don’t think the president deserves this right now. This has nothing to do with my opinion of his alliance with the US… it has everything to do with how I think he is fairing in providing relief given the country’s existing limitations. I spoke to my mother-in-law in Karachi and she says people are giving like never before. Lets indulge in the spirit of giving rather than in this finger-pointing game.
As far the US is concerned… lets first decide what we think of the US. we continuously bad mouth it. We wish to have nothing to do with it and that it not meddle in our affairs and after all that we expect that it help us out in the time of trouble. Like I said, I do not condone any wrong that the US has committed, and we have every right to express our disagreement, but we do go far beyond expressing our disagreement on to verbal abuse akin to effigy and US flag burning. Disagree by all means, Be angry by all means, but how much would you want to help out a person if he continuously badmouths you.
We’re Muslims and are supposedly to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (SW) who showed kindness to the lady who would throw trash on him everyday as he passed by her house and went in to see how she was doing when one day she wasn’t there to throw trash on him as usual.But we don’t show any such kindness, but we expect that the “infidel” US should. Why do we expect the US to act more Islamic than ourselves? I’m not defending the US but I can’t join in the verbal bashing by people who themselves cannot claim the higher moral standards that they desire the US to exhibit.
On a personal note, I thought of you as soon as I heard the news… just never got around to writing to you. I’m glad everyone is okay and safe. This is so tragic. Entire communities have vanished. It’s painful to watch. My heart breaks and I cry so much as I watch the news. We cling to so much that’s material and we never realize we can lose it in an instant. I don’t know if this is a test for our nation or if it’s punishment. I don’t know if it’s fair or unfair. I just know it’s painful to know that those who have miraculously managed to survive have lost everything… their homes and their loved ones, and I sometimes wonder if death may have been a greater mercy on them. We take for granted the presence of our loved ones… we don’t know what calamity might fall and take them away from us. When you give to your fellow country men in this time of need, remember to give a call to your loved ones living away from you and a hug to those living with you. You don’t want them to leave this world not knowing how much you really love them. Put aside your differences and give to your loved ones all the love you have in your heart… while you still have the chance.
Take care and be safe.
10FelicityOctober 11th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Oh… and sorry for taking up so much space in your comment page. I believe my comment is longer than your blog!
11knicqOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
Thanks Felicity for your very well written, and very much required comment.
I am too drained emotionally by the footages we have seen on GEO and ARY, to even get started on a debate on whether or not the President has done enough.
But for the record, I agree with everything you have said about the ground realities in Pakistan, and the commendable job, given the circumstances, done by the authorities. My last comment was nothing but a vieled request to move away from this president/government authority bashing.
However, i adisagree with your analysis of our attitude to the US here. I do not expect the US to live up to the higher moral standards - I am just appalled by the disparity in efforts the US puts in in “liberating” oil rich people from ex Allies (Osama and Saddam), and in rescuing “third world” people devastated by natural calamities.
How is it that the US with its world renowned satellite systems that can track WMDs mounted on vehicles, was not aware of the extent of this calamity? USD 100,000, upped to USD 50 Million!!!
The UAE pledged USD 100 Million!
The US did appropriate billions of dollars worth of budgets to liberate the Iraqis, didn’t it? Iraqis, people who were not really in desparate need of that bombing campaign those billions went into orchestrating. They sent out the whole blooming US Airforce to bomb people - and now they could muster 8 helicopters!
I have no ambition of US bashing here…I just intend to underline the reason behind our ‘dissatisfaction’ with the US. I am out of words, short of breath. Hope you can see what I am trying to say here.
Thank you very much for the comment - I wish you would comment more often…you know that. Take all the space you want - your comments make for better reading than the posts anyway.
Remember us all in your prayers.
12knicqOctober 11th, 2005 at 3:07 pm
Yasmine: My sister is based in Islamabad, and the rest of the family in Mirpur AJK. Thank you for your kind words…I doubt there is anything I could write that you, or my friend Felicity here amongst many others, couldn’t write loads better…:)
Usman: Thanks so much for the comment bro. My dial up would not load your blog yesterday, and I was worried about you, and your family. I am so glad to know all’s well at your end too. Ammen to your duas.
Saadie:
13mnmOctober 12th, 2005 at 8:04 am
knicq bhai, glad to know all is well with your family. we have been hearing of ppl here losing several members in muzaffarabad too. may Allah have mercy on them and help those who have survived, and give us the heart and health to help generously.
14knicqOctober 12th, 2005 at 12:51 pm
Baji, many thanks for your kindness. It is a collossal tragedy, the magnitude of which is still unfolding…I am surprised we are still not hearing anything from Rawlakot, which was initially reported to have been severely hit.
Ameen and Thumma Ameen to your prayers.
I have seen acts of such genrosity which are hard to describe in words. e.g. A client of mine, hailing from Karachi, has asked me to refer to him at least one affected family, which has lost the bread winner, and he plans to sponsor them for life, or until the time the children are grown up, educated, and married off. He pleaded with me to revert to him ASAP. If most people bestowewd with Allah’s bounty followed suit, the magnitude of this tragedy could be minimized.
A well-off colleague from Venenzuela emptied her wallet to add to contributions, while a Palestinian sister donated big in cash and blankets both.
There are countless people going about collecting donations, and offering volunteer services.
There’s a Lebanese Christian client/friend of mine, who has asked me to just tell him when and where to contribute.
All of this, in these tragic times, gives one hope that all is still not lost.
15knicqOctober 12th, 2005 at 1:35 pm
On the other hand, just came across this, which was posted by a sister from AJK, residing in UK, I think…
Quote“do u people know wts happening around?at this hour, during so much hype and tension,when everybody has seen that life is so unpredictable.nothing works when HE decides to call u back*one person sold 8 coffins in Islamabad for RS 18000/-*in Karachi one coffin of 100-300 rs are now sold for rs700/- to 1200/-*In Mansehra group of gunned man looted two trucks which were taking goods for relief work,police did come to rescue afterwards to protect the remainig ones but they can’t do everything everywhere*In Muzzafarabad the professionals who bathe the bodies(MAYYATS) have taken away all the gold things of bodies*The buses which used to take Rs32-100/- to take ppl from Mirpur to Muzzafarabad are charging rs500/- and the buses which wud take 300/- to take ppl from Islamabad to Muzzafarabad are taking rs 1400/-Mu frnds they r no rumors as i m only writing down the authentic events which my frnds in Rawlakot and Muzzafabad reported back.I m not trying to hold down ur morale but seriously why don’t we think that the only thing which can save us now is the reward v may earn by helping these people. This is not the sign of QAYAMAT this is QAYAMUTTp bring you all uptodate now v need**Medicines-anti biotics,anti allergics,for TB cure,for fever & cold cure, Vitamins,painkillers,Gkucose drips**manpower to work at different camps and Base Faisal to organise the stuff**trucks to take things will someone please bear the expenses of trucks and make arrangements for the collected things at various camps to be taken awayDONT DONATE MONEY CONCENTRATE ON ABOVE MENTIONED STUFF.MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU BACK FOR ALL THE GOOD U DO AND MAY HE SEND DOWN HIS MERCY AND DIVINE HELP FOR THE VICTIMS AND HELPER”Unquote
Just when we were begining to think we had risen above our petty corruption…this is so sad.
16SaadieOctober 12th, 2005 at 6:38 pm
There are always black sheeps in a society, inshAllah everything will be fine.
17AbezOctober 15th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
HF told me everyone in your family was alright and I was relieved Bhai, and may Allah bless and guide us all to the correct course of action that earns His mercy and helps others in need InshaAllah.
18SaadieOctober 22nd, 2005 at 1:22 pm
updates?
19knicqOctober 22nd, 2005 at 3:22 pm
Saadie: I have been oscillating between hope and despair as on the one hand wonderful stories of selfless dedication have unfolded in front of me or reached me, and as on the other hand we have heard of those black sheep. It takes every ounce of my resolve not to curse those people whose blackened hearts are no touched even by the magnitude of this tragedy…:(
Litle Baji, Ameen to your prayers. ¶ 1/26/2006 02:14:00 AM
