Pakistan observed National Resilience Day on Tuesday to express solidarity with the victims of 2005 earthquake with ceremonies and rallies in most-affected cities of Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The October 8, 2005, monster earthquake with intensity of 7.6 on Richter Scale had claimed about 88,000 lives and rendered millions homeless in AJK and KP cities.
One-minute silence was observed in AJK at 8:52 am, the time when the massive quake jolted this part of the world.
In their separate messages on the occasion, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have called for focusing on mitigating the impacts of climate change through effective coordination and construction of climate-resilient infrastructure.
In his message, the President stressed the need to educate the people about disaster risk management, and mitigation, and actively engage the communities to promote a culture of disaster preparedness.
He said amid the catastrophe of 2005 earthquake our nation displayed an unparalleled spirit of resilience and unity and generously helped the affected people.
Zardari called for focusing on constructing climate-resilient infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of climate change. “Today we are observing National Resilience Day, which reminds us of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, that claimed thousands of lives”, he said.
The destruction it brought to our cities and villages remains etched in our memory. However, amid this catastrophe, our nation displayed an unparalleled spirit of resilience and unity and generously helped the affected people, the president said.
He also extended his deepest gratitude to the international community, friendly countries, civil society, welfare and charity organizations that extended their invaluable support in the aftermath of this earthquake. Their support and solidarity not only helped us rebuild our roads, education, health and other infrastructure but also gave hope to the affected people, enabling them to rebuild their lives, he said adding that in recent years, the looming threat of climate change has made Pakistan more vulnerable to natural disasters.
He highlighted that rising temperatures, unpredictable weather patterns, and extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, and landslides posed a potential threat to the infrastructure and lives of our people.
Furthermore, he added that the frequency and intensity of climate-related calamities had increased in Pakistan, it had become essential to invest in the capacity building of our national and provincial disaster management authorities and enhance their disaster preparedness.
“We need to equip our relevant institutions with the latest technologies, expertise, and resources to effectively respond to emerging challenges.”
He stressed that improving early warning systems, enhancing coordination among national and provincial authorities, and adopting modern disaster mitigation strategies should be the key priorities to timely respond to threats.
“This National Resilience Day reminds us that the Pakistani nation has displayed extraordinary resilience in the face of challenges and has always emerged stronger. I am sure that if we continue to work with the spirit of unity and resilience, we can overcome the challenges facing our country,” the president added.
In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said efficient and effective coordination, development of contingency plans and risk communication to farthest communities was critical for national resilience. ‘National Resilience Day’ is a motivation for us to embrace the best practices and implement policies and strategies aimed at fortifying our nation’s resilience, the prime minister said.
He said the government’s policy initiatives should encompass various sectors, including safe development of infrastructure, improved disaster preparedness, poverty alleviation, safer spatial land use planning, adherence to building codes, efficient water resource management, sound agricultural practices, and increased afforestation nationwide, including coastal areas.
“The 8th of October reminds us of the devastating earthquake of 2005 – a great tragedy that befell upon Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Our heartfelt prayers go to all those who endured loss of lives and properties,” he added.
After the devastating 2005 earthquake, the floods of 2022 were a mega disaster surpassing all past records, he said adding that the people and institutions of Pakistan had always shown immense resolve and demonstrated ability to resurface amidst catastrophes and national crises, induced by climate change and environmental hazards.
He said Pakistan was facing an immense impact of climate change despite not being responsible for it. Frequent recurrence of unpredictable extreme events have given devastating blow to our struggling economy.
He commended the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan for its hard work to have evolved a tested mechanism as a national response towards such natural calamities.
Key components of our national response include proactively working at reducing vulnerability to disasters and providing coping mechanisms and framework for effective disaster management.
He expressed his satisfaction that NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) had the best capacities in management of national disasters. “NEOC is founded on high-end technology inputs to create disasters’ early warnings much ahead of time – saving lives and infrastructure.”
The prime minister urged all stakeholders to seek synergy through greater and refined understanding of each other’s strengths and capacity limitations, achieving maximized interoperability amongst local, zonal, national, global, and public and private sectors through a ‘whole of society’ approach.
On this occasion, he also expressed the gratitude for the valuable help provided by the international community, civil society, and private philanthropy in bolstering the government’s national response efforts during the 2022 floods disaster.
The people of Pakistan have a history of philanthropy and generosity in times of crises and their response during the earthquake of 2005 and floods of 2022 is a vivid example of their benevolence.
By the grace of Allah, we have always, and continue to, fought through all such calamities with the help of our brave Pakistani brethren and sisters.
AJK marks 19th anniversary
n Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), ceremonies and rallied held to observe the 19th anniversary of history’s worst deadly earthquake of October 8, 2005 in the state with due feelings of seriousness, respect and determination.
The National Disaster Awareness Day with the glowing tributes paid to the martyrs and other victims of the history’s first-ever most-worst deadly catastrophe in this part of the Himalayan state.
A grand ceremony was hosted by the Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) and Educational Complex at Akhtarabad in Mirpur, dwelling hundreds of children who had fallen orphan and shelter less in the deadly earthquake.
Rebuilding a far cry
The rebuilding of destroyed infrastructure including roads and schools was still in doldrums as 884 projects in four districts of Rawala-Poonch Division 468 projects have not yet completed and the remaining are still to see light of the day.