The trip to Muzaffarabad passed with frequent landslides in the way, traffic jams, and fear of further after shocks. The destruction in the way was evidience of the depth of the situation. Villages along the way were completely flat or some had a few damaged houses. As we got nearer and nearer the scale of disaster was unfolding. A few friends volunteered and worked day and night to collect relief goods. Never in my life had I seen the nation come out to help their brothers and sisters in need. The army, relief agencies, ordinary college students were doing their best to save as many people as possible.
This weekend I returned and had some rest. The place where I am teaching in Islamabad, was not behind in helping in any way they could. In fact, every institution in the country and just about every person is doing his/her share of effort.
My mailbox is full of emails of friends and my students willing to help in any way they can. There are teams of students in all educational institutions going to hospitals, distributing toys and taking care of those who cannot help themselves.
I cannot explain in words the scenes in the affected areas. Every home has lost someone. Sights of children crying with pain does shake a person. Some lost legs, while others arms. Just about everybody is injured in some way. If the injury is not evident on the body , I could tell by their faces that grief and sorrow has gripped everyone.
Only today while driving from work, I saw lines and lines of trucks carrying relief goods passing through Islamabad, heading towards Northern areas. I never have seen so much enthusiasm and caring in my life. I would prefer to ignore the few incidents of looting… The positive side and the dominant aspect is that Pakistanis have all come forward to help. The ideal situation would be that this help continues, as the rehabilitation could take years.