“We have only weeks to save the survivors of Pakistan’s earthquake from our indifference.” Maggie O’Kane writes at Guardian Unlimited. It’s a resounding heart felt article everyone must read and act. Maggie constantly highlights and gives a lot better perspective on earthquake hit areas than all the tv channels combined without an exception. She further elaborates: “Larry Hollingsworth, of the UNHCR, has spent his life buried in human tragedy. In Bosnia he led convoys of refugees out of siege cities, bartering cheerily with the captors as he went. He didn’t do panic. But now he was pleading, begging, beseeching. The message: in weeks the snows come and “we will be digging the bodies of children from the mountainside”. Their deaths, this time, would have nothing to do with a lack of lifting equipment but everything to do with weary indifference.”
Each passing hour, the mountains are becoming playground of human spirits, agony, triumph and sense of dedication. Those who can still walk, trek and reach to hundreds of earthquake affectees with relief aid do not feel proud of the glorified journey they had taken on because there are thousands of children and women stuck up in the 2m snow and -10 degree celsius.
This is a tragedy on such a scale that, of course, it has to be grasped by governments. The British and the Americans have, as Hilary Benn keeps reminding us, given more money than anyone else. But surely Britain could have found more than three Chinook helicopters. President Musharraf says Pakistan’s Muslims don’t count in the same way as westerners caught in the tsunami. He’s right. But the big picture is that in a few weeks the mountains will be covered in snow.
I have already stated the no. of helicopters who participated in Tsunami relief operations were around 1000. And I am not talking about 1971. Where have they all gone?
Watch this
November 2005
Fri 18 Nov 2005
Thu 17 Nov 2005
Now that the winter is in town and snow and rainfall would just be norm in Nothern areas of Pakistan, people living on mountain-tops have finally realized if the aid couldn’t reach them in a month, they better move down themselves or else they’d die of hunger, disease and winter. And only now those massive tent-cities and camps which got stationed in the dead cities of Bagh, Balakot and Muzaffarabad will be useful as they have long-term relief programs and funding and can withstand larger community of affectees arriving at their doors.
212th Mobile Army Hospital of US Army has setup their flickr account which they would be updating from Muzaffarabad through their satellite connectivity. Check out their Flickr Images. Bill Mill, a hi-tech programmer with a heart from Hartford, Connecticut, USA has also hosted his flickr images tents, patients and other relief activities live from Balakot.
You can also see some of my images of earthquake some of them contain pre-earthquake pictures of Balakot, Kaghan and Naran (which my friends took only two months before the earthquake hit these areas). In next few days I would be done with compiling 5 hours long video clips and pictures of Balakot, Bagh, Batle, Muzaffarabad and some parts of Kashmir. I may actually send some of their copies to those interested, so do drop your notes/emails if you wish.
Tue 8 Nov 2005
As I sit back and try to check and reply all emails of past few days, there are some notable ones which might be of interest to general public.
Yasin Janjua in Montana has organized tents and blankets for earth quake relief. He’s about to dispatch his goods ASAP. I sincerely wish for him and others that his efforts bring fruits by reaching out to the needy ASAP. He’s previously worked with SUNGI, based in Abbottabad and I am very impressed by the level of commitment, organization and information that SUNGI workers work with. Some of the teams of SUNGI are already working in collaboration with OXFAM and actually that was the team behind our first sanitation facilities near Balakot. Yasin’s efforts can be seen and joined at his website at the call of tents for Pakistan.
Mannan (Sepoy) has long been collecting funds, raising awareness and directing others to the needy areas even if he couldn’t be in Pakistan. He has collected about 2000$ already and his efforts can be seen at his site.
Ghulam Nabi Shahid from Lancashire, UK writes:
I appreciate every body working for the victims of the worst Disaster in Pakistan and Kashmir.
Like every muslim (rather every human being), I feel this the time to do any thing whatever one can to save the precious lives of these victims.
Like all other people, I am also trying to contribute in the shape of my efforts to source their immediate needs using all my skills, sources and experience.
Therefore, by the Grace of Allah, I can supply the following products at 20 to 50% discounted rates:
1) TENTS
2) BLANKETS
3) First Aid Kits
4) MEDICAL EQUIPMENTS & CONSUMABLES.
5) FOOD ITEMS
If any of the Charity or any body needs the above said items for the Victims, I am ready to supply purely on non-profit basis and with upto 50% discounted prices. However, the only condition is that these goods must be purchased for DONATION ONLY AND NOT FOR RE-SALE.
Those who need the above items, for the relief of the Vicitims may contact me at the following address:
Ghulam Nabi Shahid
2 Richmond Terrace, Darwen,
Lancashire BB3 3DE
UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: 0772-513-7098
Fax: 01254-772414
E-Mail: uptcmed@aol.com
