PAKISTAN: Ramadan stirs grief in Pakistani quake zone

The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan hangs heavy over many in northern Pakistan, nearly a year after an earthquake struck the mountainous region killing 73,000 people. Muzaffarabad, a small city nestled beneath peaks in the juncture of two river valleys, was close to the epicentre of the quake and suffered the worst damage. Painful memories and fears for the future are heightened during this Ramadan holy month, with survivors mourning lost loved ones. It was just a few days into Ramadan when the October 8 quake hit last year. Buildings collapsed in seconds, leaving about 3.5 million people homeless. Many survivors are still living in tents, or in simple wood and corrugated-iron huts as another winter approaches. Reconstruction has hardly begun and is expected to take years. The approaching anniversary of the disaster has brought fears of another quake. Some people have moved out of damaged homes into tents because of the swirling talk of another disaster. A government official urged people to ignore the rumours saying they would further the problems of survivors and add to their miseries. As Ramadan started, many visited cemeteries tidying up their loved ones' graves and laying wreaths and flowers. Housewife Safia Afzal whose 19-year-old daughter was killed in the quake sat beside the black and white marble grave, gently washing the dust away from it. "I don't cry any more," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I say it must have been Allah's will. But the child's death has devastated our entire family. She was such an intelligent child, such a loving child, so sympathetic to her sisters and brothers. We are all destroyed," she said, covering her face with her cotton veil. A year after the horrendous quake, emotions in the stricken region are still raw. "The quake affected people are still so sad that they do not want to stitch new clothes. There are too many problems especially for the poor people," said Mohammad Yusaf, a young tailor who has set up shop inside a shabby tent. But some rare pockets of light trickled through the thick vapours of gloom. Little girls in grey and white school uniforms were seen skipping to school on the bright and sunny Ramadan morning. Inscribed on their satchels were the words: "Life will smile again."

ITN Source | October 2, 2006

Tags:. .clothes. .anniversary. .zone. .hangs. .emotions