Azad Jammu Kashmir Chaudhry Prime Minister Ch. Anwarul Haq has said that the govt. was determined to build Rs. 52 billion incomplete infrastructure which was yet to be completed in the earthquake hit zone in the State. “The dreadful memories of the deadly October 08, 2005 earthquake that shook the entire region are still afresh in our hearts and minds”, the AJK Prime Minister expressed these views while speaking at a ceremony hosted in the State metropolis to mark 18th Oct 8, 2005 earthquake martyrs’ anniversary.
Terming the 2005 earthquake as a disaster of titanic proportions, the PM said that it was such a big tragedy that it effects would be felt for a long time. He said that tragedies do happen in nations’ lives, but great nations focus on rebuilding and use their painful memories to reform their moral attitudes. He said that it was heartening to see that the region had recovered from the disaster but there was still a lot to be done. He said that building infrastructure worth 52 billion rupees was yet to be completed. He said that the whole nation has to shoulder this responsibility together.
Lauding the role of the international community, the PM said that the United States, Europe, especially the Islamic countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE and other countries played an important role in helping rehabilitate the survivors and building infrastructure. He said that the Pakistan Army played a crucial role during the rehabilitation and reconstruction process.
Voicing his serious concerns over Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people, the PM said that the international community must redouble its efforts to stop the bloodshed of innocent civilians in Gaza. Terming Kashmir and Palestine as two sides of the same coin, he said that the people of both regions have suffered enormously at the hands of colonizers.
He said that climate change has become a global challenge but Pakistan, and Azad Kashmir, rank among the most vulnerable regions to climate change. He said that deforestation was one of the major causes of climate change.He said, “It is not possible to stop natural disasters, but all that we can do is to learn how to deal with any disaster effectively.
