MANSEHRA: The people of Balakot were disappointed at the district administration’s failure to mark the ninth anniversary of October 8, 2005 earthquake in the city on Wednesday.

The earthquake had completely destroyed Balakot and killed more than 20,000 local residents.

Mohammad Saleem told reporters that he had lost two sons to the earthquake and had come to Balakot from Mansehra but was really disappointed to see that the administration hadn’t organised a single function to mark the ninth anniversary of the 2005 tragedy.

He said he had learned that all official events on the anniversary were taking place in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which was also hit by the 2005 earthquake.

Saleem said Balakot had lost over 20,000 people to the earthquake, the biggest death toll of its kind in any city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said the government should construct an earthquake memorial in Balakot city.

“It is really unfortunate that not a single official function has taken place in the city this time around though it’s been a routine since the first anniversary of the tragedy,” he said.

Calamity survivors call for construction of memorial in city

Mohammad Javed, another Balakot resident, said the people organised Quran khwani functions at their homes but it was unfortunate that neither the government nor civil society organisations did anything to mark the anniversary of the 2005 earthquake.

He said it was pity that the people of Balakot continued to be in distress and had been spending life in two-room shelters.

“Neither the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority nor the government are serious about addressing the nine-year-long misery of earthquake survivors,” he said.

In the day, the people went to the graves of relatives in Balakot and Garlat to pray for them.

The mass grave of 84 students of the Government High School, Balakot also pulled a large crowd.

Local traders observed complete a shutter-down strike on the call of the All Traders Association.

Meanwhile, a Quran khwani function was held at the central mosque here on Abbottabad Road for the 2005 earthquake victims.

Noted among those in attendance was assistant commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan.

Maulana Waqarul Haq Usman, prayer leader of the mosque, led prayers for the people, who were killed by the earthquake.

Dr Qasim said the 2005 earthquake was a big tragedy of national history as it not only claimed a large number of lives but also destroyed infrastructure in five districts of the province.

“Mansehra had suffered almost half of the human and property losses suffered by the affected districts of the province. The district administration is doing its best to ensure early rehabilitation of health, education and other facilities,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 9th , 2014