By Asem Mustafa

It has rained, it has snowed and they are sick and exposed and are dying in the open in the camps with and without shelter as October 8 earthquake exposed everything that is harped for the people in ‘land of the pure’.

The promised relief and shelter to date has not crossed the figure of 30,000 the one room shelter that is guaranteed to give cover against snow and wind.

The people are not allowed to burn stoves in their tents as they may burn themselves and its discouraged and the quake victims that include children and women most are getting sick each day.

So far the tents are on the go as they have been paid for in advance or the bulk production is sanctioned the details cannot be confirmed a how many. The devastating earthquake on October 8 has left people looking for the promised help in skies as where is that and the tents in the region have been considered ineffective as it can not hold of the cold air or rain or even snow which has started.

The catastrophe which has official count of less than 100,000 will be five times as the winter sets in and it will rise but who is counting the dead the living are promised fortunes as they will be rehabilitated how that questions remains unanswered.

Pakistan that hosted millions of refuges has so far failed miserably as not even 10 per cent of the affectees are rehabilitated, the statistics of the few who made it to the camps are in the count and are projected again and again. The problems in the camps have also arisen many questions, as whatever promised is not delivered.

“We are reduced to beggars and we had all and we cant complain as there are evictions too and people with such high headedness in camps have left it in disgust that they are better off dying in the cold then to beg and left at the mercy of others who had lost nothing,” said a man shivering with cold in a tattered blanket.

I am leaving this place the first chance I get and like me there are many as what are we doing here, we have been insulted, baton charged, abused and treated as if we have caused a national loss.”

The social norms as in veiled women are also one reason that survivors don’t move to the shelter and try to make it what little they have and they are not leaving their property as the gold rush in Kashmir has made all beggars leave for that place to make a loot and they are quite successful as real deserving ones are all but a mile up and down the road and they just wait and see the melee that goes on in the lines.

The local bodies representatives who could have made a difference failed miserably as they were responsible and representatives of 20,000 people and they could have streamlined the affairs which to date is haphazard and no one knows what is happening.

To begin with tents were needed in the first month and now its but a wooden and tin roof shelter. Why the delay as the count states less than 30,000 and the average time in making a one-room shelter takes 3 hours and if with skilled workers it could even be less. Was the aspect deliberately ignored so that first the kick back and commissions could be consumed and later in the wood and tin, which is now sought for.

Some how great communication gaps were seen and a lot of figures given show a general apathy as why the figures are so twisted and why with so much delay. The delayed rescue followed by chaos and most glaring example the Margalla Tower it took over two weeks to clear the rubble and the news that generated from it as in lack of equipment and all left a lot to be desired by the ‘people friendly government’.

The promised relief in the donors conference has money pouring in but it was all in loans as in long term soft loans with interest rates that were not low and all the situation handled by the policy makers came under great criticism as in the end it was the generations to come were sold which are already under debt as it’s the fate of every newborn that open the eyes in the land of the pure minus the children of the elite who suck the nations blood.

The political scenario is also embroiling with dissent everywhere and major one is the audit of the relief money, which is asked by all parties.

The donors have also risen their objections times and again and assurance from the highest office were issued to curtail the doubts and raised eyebrows which demanded explanation at every penny spent.

The Public Accounts Committee that comes up with the embezzlement reports involving at national scale are all eye openers and since they are given out regularly but the execution on these reports is never heard as no criminals are pointed out and with the state of affairs as in ‘justice delayed’ the cycle goes on.

Needless to say it has become an established norm and abuse of power in public offices is at rampant with no check and nothing to date has brought these criminals to justice and there are countless examples of corruption made by the big wigs and if investigations are made most of elite class have cases or two pending against them on different charges which in case of ordinary citizen can result in jail but not a finger is pointed when it involves the politicians.

In any of the quake affected regions there are more complaints then praise and people are angry as losing all and no promised help, how the identities will be established and how the relief money will get to them is a question that every one is asking and so far nothing concrete is given as how will it work as local bodies representatives must have some survivors if they are just put and placed back in their dwelling unlike the elite Kashmiri leadership which went missing for days the relief efforts can and will speedup amid the frozen bodies which will continue to make an increasing count with every passing hour.

All the quake victims have a horrifying tales to share and their tears have dried out as there was no one to wipe it for them and still nothing is done.

How people begged people to help assist in taking out their loved ones from rubble and having no pick and shovel they died in front of them with a slow death without food and water, how people offered all their cattle just to get past the wall falling on the family and couldn’t do and later dying in anguish as when all the loved ones are gone what is the reason for getting down.

Cold and sickness got them as now its not quake it’s the weather that is wiping out the people which are at its mercy as they were lucky to survive one obstacle which lasted less than a minute while weather offers round the clock cold which takes no less than a life in a slow manner by sapping all the energy reserves.

The social norms as in women needing space and people living as a family unit are also a barrier. Majority of people who come down to the shelters form less than 10 per cent of the total affected and with such a grim scenario a revival of media campaign is needed to have people participate more with food and medicine.

The government funds established give such a meager amount that any crooked criminal in National Accountability Bureau list of loan defaulters and plunderers of national wealth can be squeezed to meet the paucity of funds. People ask when will these corrupts will be put to use as the recovery from them in selling their assets and belongings.

A number of parliament members have offshore accounts and NAB seeks them as well and this department can be utilized for masses that are left at the mercy of fate, which can be changed if there is a will and serious effort, and not ‘talks’.

The newspapers are filled with criminals activities that include various criminal groups making best of the situation by kidnapping children and women who are left with no where to turn to, the efforts as in how it is curbed are also not known as what are the checks made to stop that.

The incidents continue to happen and helpless people continue to be punished as not all care can be offered. The national volunteer corps in absence of established Civil Defense and Scouts which only existed in papers is yet to make a mark and since the two failed miserably there is criticism on the volunteers corps as with the existing set up which is ignored totally the new set up is created to fill in more papers like the 5 years plans which are master pieces in papers but never in actual.

“A person in a teasing tone said, “Look at the people they are 4 millions, the exiled former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto announce Rs 5 million each and besides there are many donations coming from different people but not a single Rupee will reach them, they are made richer in papers and in papers they will be paid.”

“Look at their lives and their complaints and tell me what is there feeding one hungry mouth and 99 looking at it is not fair.”

He said, “We leave it to Allah and pray that may there be a relief as all that is harped is not true at all and there are more complaints then praise and it’s a fact for saving human lives a lot needs to be done and what is done is but so little.”

“Its done fairly everyone says that,” said the man with an agonizing smile, “ I have only one thing to say Supreme Court bans kite flying as it had killed many innocent lives and the same day when the ban is announced few more are dead and kites stay in air as law is made and is acted upon.”

“When its implemented for once in actual the day I will say the quake victims will get the promised relief, before that its all talks shows, photo opportunities and media gimmickry and nothing much is happening.”

“I say it as I put over 20 of my close family members in grave and I have no interest in money or relief or anything I am a walking corpse and I have nothing more to say.”