20th Anniversary of Oct. 08, 2005 earthquake: AJK President pays tribute to victims of killer catastrophe:

English , Kashmir - آزاد جموں کشمیر , Snippets , / Tuesday, October 7th, 2025

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Altaf Hamid RAO.
MIRPUR (AJK): Oct. 7: The AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq have, in their separate messages on 20h anniversary of deadly catastrophe of October 8, 2005′ earthquake, said that October 8 brought immeasurable damages and destruction in moments to several districts of AJK including the state’s metropolis Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Poonch besides several parts of Mirpur division and adjoining KPK provonce.

In his message issued on Tuesday the President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry said that after the horrific catastrophe of October 8 the way people fought back with thliberal financial assistance of the Government of Pakistan besides the financial relief by international community was unprecedented. The kind of solidarity, unity and brotherhood displayed by people of all walks of life to meet the challenges posed by earthquake was rarely found in the history of the nations.

He underlined Pakistan Government diverted all the necessary resources finances to help the quake hit people on war footing but the way the Pakistani nation rushed to respond to the natural disaster with the help of international donors, NGOs and Islamic countries was remarkable. It was valiant Pakistan armed forces that promptly moved in and rescued thousands of injured by removing tons of rubbles from the city and other areas. The deadliest quake also united the nation on one platform, he added.

In his message the AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq recalled that in the October 8, 2005 tragedy, the international community played an exemplary role in humanitarian sympathy in the earthquake which won the hearts of the Pakistani nation and the Kashmiri people. “We always have to move forward with hope and reduce the loss of natural disasters”, he emphasised.

Anwar-ul-Haq continued that the countries that helped us in this tragedy will always be remembered. He said that after the earthquake on October 08, the government of Pakistan and the Pakistani nation became a chain to cope with the devastation of the tragedy which raised our morale highest extent ensuring impossible reconstruction and rehabilitation work possible.

The AJK PM further underlined that latest buildings of the educational institutions have been constructed besides construction of hospitals and several other centers in collaboration with foreign countries in the health sector that have been completed by now.

He further said many such projects were being constructed in line with the international standards for the delivery of most modern medical facilities to the AJK population in quack hit zone besides other parts of the State besides identical steps to provide all the basic facilities of life to the people, he added.

The AJK PM lauded national institutions for playing an exemplary role in reconstruction and rehabilitationof life in the earthquakehit areas. Anwaar reiterated his government’s resolve to provide modern facilities in every city and village of Azad Jammu Kashmir induscriminately.

Anwaar ul Haq pointed out all the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in quake hit areas have been completed so far. He said that Azad Jammu Kashmir government turned the catastrophe into opportunity as the affected people have been rehabilitated; better buildings have replaced the old and destroyed buildings; dilapidated roads of pre-earthquake era have turned into highways; schools, colleges and universities have much better buildings than they had before the earthquake. “We have now better buildings for hospitals and basic health centers in cooperation with the government of Pakistan besides the international community” he said. He praised the organizations that had remained engaged in completion of reconstruction projects in the quake struck areas of the State.
The PM said national institutions performed unprecedented completing reconstruction and rehabilitation process more than expectations under the gigantic reconstruction and rehabilitation programme. “It was the only occasion when the nation, the armed forces and international community, without any discrimination got together for specific purpose and got us out of horrific devastations and played instrumental role for rehabilitation” he recalled Life came to normalcy quickly after the earthquake following unprecedented collective vibrant role of the nation-buulding institutions of Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir besides the international community including the non governmental organisations. he added.