I still remember the morning of October 8, 2005. I was awake but still in bed when the earth started shaking. It was not like the quakes we had in Pakistan before. It was more than just the vibrations. I remember running out in the courtyard and sitting on the floor wondering what is going to happen.
We were fortunate enough to be in upper Punjab, hundreds of miles away from the most affected areas, that it was not hit hard.
When the news started emerging of the damage done in the beautiful valley of Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas of Pakistan, we all were in utter shock and grief. This was an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 and claimed 79,000 lives. I can still imagine myself watching TV news in horror and shock. I still remember also how people of Pakistan reacted after this natural calamity. Immediately after the quake it was un-coordinated efforts of individuals all over Pakistan and then an organised campaign of raising money, food, clothes and shelter and delivering these goods in the affected areas.
This post goes to my dear friend Muneer who lost his right arm in this quake and to all who lost their loved ones and to those dreams which were shattered before being realized.
We were fortunate enough to be in upper Punjab, hundreds of miles away from the most affected areas, that it was not hit hard.
When the news started emerging of the damage done in the beautiful valley of Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas of Pakistan, we all were in utter shock and grief. This was an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 and claimed 79,000 lives. I can still imagine myself watching TV news in horror and shock. I still remember also how people of Pakistan reacted after this natural calamity. Immediately after the quake it was un-coordinated efforts of individuals all over Pakistan and then an organised campaign of raising money, food, clothes and shelter and delivering these goods in the affected areas.
This post goes to my dear friend Muneer who lost his right arm in this quake and to all who lost their loved ones and to those dreams which were shattered before being realized.
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