MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : In Azad Jammu Kashmir all is almost set to commemorate the 19th Anniversary of history’s worst killer earthquake of October 8, 2005 across Azad Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday – Oct. 8 with due seriousness, respect and determination as the National Disaster Awareness Day with the glorious tributes to be paid to the martyrs and other victims of the history’s most-worst deadly catastrophe of high magnitude in the region.
To mark the human history’s most tregic day in the region, a grand ceremony will be hosted by the Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) and its mega Educational Complex at Akhterabad in Mirpur, housing atleast 500 orphan and shelterless children mostly those who had fallen orphan and homeless in dea the killer earthquake of October 8, 2005 in Azad Jammu Kashmir, Our Special Jammu Kashmir state Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao reports from Mirpur on Tuesday
This scheduled annual function is considered to be the hallmark of the 20th Anniversary of the history’s worst catastrophe to be commemorated in this lake district simultaneously with rest parts of AJK.
When contacted, the KORT Founder Chairman Chaudhry Akhter Kashmir told this Correspondent here on Tuesday that major grand ceremony will be held at 6.00 in the evening on Wednesday – October 08, at the KORT complex at Akhterabad, located in outskirt of this lake city, housing hundreds of the homeless children who had fallen orphen and shelterless in the deadly earthquake 20 years ago this day in AJK in 2005 to mark the anniversary of the killer catastrophe.
People from all walks of life including notables will visit dweller children of the KORT to commemorate the anniversary ceremony. The invitees include dignitories and the the representatives of all classes of the civil society besides philonthropists.
Ch. Akhter Kashmir Waala the founder of the KORT, the largest shelter home in South Asia, housing over 500 of orphan and shelter less children – mostly those who were rendered homeless and orphan following the killer earthquake of October 2005 in Muzaffarabad and various adjoining parts of AJK and KPK, told that the ceremony to pay rich tributes to the victims of the history’s worst catastrophe, will be attended among others by the dignitaries – besides social workers, volunteers and heads of various nation-building institutions will grace the occasion to observe the anniversary with due respect and prayers for the victims of the devastating calamity.
This year too Mirpur city of AJK will observe the anniversary when this lake district met the same fate in form of Sept. 24, 2019 devastating earthquake of moderate magnitude measuring 5.8 at Richter scale that left at least 45 people dead and over 1000 injured besides huge damaging of the buildings across Mirpur city and adjoining areas of Jatlaan leaving hundreds of thousands of the people shelter less badly affecting the daily life.
The anniversary will be observed as the national day of awareness about safety from the national disasters to mark the 20th anniversary of the calamity as ‘day of firmness and determination for reconstruction – in memory of earthquake martyrs’ coupled with special prayers for the rest of the departed souls of the quake victims in eternal peace and to express sympathies and solidarity with the survivors of the history’s most worst natural catastrophe.
Earlier the day will dawn with special prayers in the mosques at Fajr across AJK for the departed souls of the earthquake victims. It will be a gazetted holiday throughout AJK State.
Another major ceremony to mark the day will reportedly be held at the AJK’s capital city of Muzaffarabad, with the sign of deep-rooted love and affection by the government and the people of Pakistan as well as the national and international NGO’s and brotherly foreign countries who had contributed their exceptional share of generous assistance for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the quake-hit zone of AJK, the concerned State authorities told news agency.
Besides, special functions in various parts of AJK to pay rich tributes to the victims of the killer catastrophe and to raise awareness among the people about adoption of per-cautionary measures to avert the losses in case of any natural catastrophe, will be the hall-mark of the anniversary of the deadly earthquake which had turned bulk of AJK into rubble this day 20 years ago”, the sources said.
In Mirpur, the major ceremony will be held where fateha Khawani will be offered for the martyrs and simultaneously with rest of the country sirens were blown at 8.52 a.m and two minutes silence, in the mourning of the victims of the catastrophe at a ceremony in the morning of October 8 -Wednesday, official sources said.
Similar special ceremonies including walks for awareness, seminars and symposiums are also scheduled to be held in all other parts of AJK in the memory of the martyrs of the devastating earthquake which had left over 75 thousand people dead and lakhs of others injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
People representing all walks of life including social and political workers, lawyers, journalists and members of the business fraternity will attend the scheduled ceremonies to pay glorious tributes to the victims of history’s worst catastrophe this day 20 years ago in 2005
