AJK marks 20th anniversary of Oct 8, 2005 earthquake with resolve to face any natural catestrophe with patience.

English , Kashmir - آزاد جموں کشمیر , Snippets , / Wednesday, October 8th, 2025

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Altaf Hamid Rao

MIRPUR (AJK): Oct. 8: The 20th anniversary of the devastating earthquake, this day 20 years ago in 2005 was commemorated across Azad Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir flag remained at half-mast on all private and public buildings of the state to mark the anniversary.

The anniversary was observed as the ‘Day Of Patience’ besides as National Day for Raising Awareness about safety from natural calamities besides 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 complete solidarity and sympathies with the survivors of the history’s most worst natural catastrophe.

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted Azad Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 8:52 am on the morning of October 8, 2005. Muzaffarabad, the AJK State’s metropolis , was ground-zero in the catastrophic temblor. The city and the entire adjoining KPK’s region to Balakot was left virtually unrecognizable when the earth stopped shaking leaving over 82,000 people dead and thousands injured.

The devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, had shaken Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and adjoining areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province turning major part of the two neighbouring regions into rubble.

Lake~side Mirpur city of AJK observed the anniversary when it also met the same fate in form of Sept. 24 devastating earthuake of moderate magnitude measuring 5.8 at Richter scale in year 2019 that had left at least 45 people dead and over 800 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.

Our AJK Correspondent reports from Mirpur on Wednesday that in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the day dawned with special prayers for the martyrs of the earthquake. Prayers were also made for the liberation of the locked down bleeding vale of occupied Jammu and Kashmir from Indian subjugation.

Fateh Khawani and Quran Khawni were offered for thousands of victims of the calamity who lost their lives in the quake-hit Muzaffarabad and other parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In Mirpur division special functions were held to mark the day as the National Disaster Awareness Day at the Quaid e Azam International Mirpur Cricket Stadium at the DHQ of Mirpur with new pledge.

A walk of the children living in Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust Rehabilitation and Educational Complex Mirpur was also taken out in Mirpur led by Divisional Commissioner Ch.Mukhtar Hussain Founder Chairman of KORT Ch. Akhter Kashmirwala, SSP Khurram Iqbal and other city elite to mark the deadly earthquake of October 08, 2005. The walk started from Mirpur Cricket stadium and ended at the same venue after passing through main Muhammad Shaheed Chowk and quid-e-Azam Chowk.

Over 500 children dwelling South Asia’s largest Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) and Educational Complex Mirpur, who were fallen orphan and lost their parents in the devastative earthquake marched in the memory of their loved ones in Mirpur participated major congregations held in Mirpur and KPK’s Swabi town to mark the anniversary with renewed pledge to face every natural disaster, Allah forbid, with patience.

Besides Mirpur Division Commissioner Ch Mukhtar Hussain, SSP Khurram Iqbal and founder of the KORT Educational Orphan Relief Trust Ch. Muhammad Akhtar KORT’s old volunteers and other city elite led the walk. The walk started from Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Stadium was also attended by students and other local people in large number.

Besides the dignitaries including the students of the KORT Educational Cimplex, sstudents of various other local schools and colleges also attended the ceremony besides large number of people belonging to all walks of life.

Special prayer was offered on this occasion for the martyrs of earthquake. Sirens were blown at 8.52 a.m and two minutes silence observed in the memory of the victims of the catastrophe. Orphan children and students of different schools and colleges participated.

Central prayers ceremony was held at the State metropolis where AJK Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Chaudhry laid floral wreath at the memorial of the martyrs in the capital town. The AJK Cabinet ministers without portfolios and large number of local people attended the ceremony. One minute silence was observed at 08:52 this morning.

Speaking on this occasion, the AJK Prime Minister and others paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the deadly catastrophe of October 08, 2005 earthquake.

It may be mentioned that the AJK government had identified about 8 thousand projects for the reconstruction work in the earthquake-hit areas in AJK, with a total investment of Rs. 210 billion. After 20 years down the line still a big portion of the projects in the earthquake hit zone was reportedly still lying incomplete, informed sources said.

The ceremony hosted in the State capital town to mark the anniversary was held in the capital city with the sign of deep rooted love and affection by the government and the people of Pakistan, valiant armed forces if Pakistan as well as the national and international NGO’s and brotherly foreign countries who contributed their exceptional share for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the quake hit zone of AJK.

Participants laid the floral wreaths at the memorial monument of the martyrs of the deadly earthquake on this occasion paying rich tributes to the departed souls and other victims of the history’s worst catastrophe.

The memorial ceremony, largelly attended by the inmates (orphan and shelterless children) recalled the history’s most tregic day of Oct 08, 2005 and prayed for the rest of the departed souls / the martyrs of the deadly earthquake.

It may be added that several of the mega Development Projects of public welfare have been completed in the AJK capital in the wake of the broad based phased plan to rehabilitate the AJK metropolis on latest grounds comprising modern civic and other infrastructural facilities.

Similar special ceremonies including walks for awareness, seminars and symposiums were also held in various parts of AJK including Rawalakot, Bagh, Palandri, Kotli and Bhimber districts in the memory of the martyrs of the devastating quake which left over 80 thousand people dead and lakhs of others injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

The ceremonies were attended by the people representing all walks of life including social and political workers, lawyers, journalists and members of the business fraternity to pay glorious tributes to the victims of history’s worst catastrophe this day 20 years ago in 2005.