Dear Friends,
Our work on earthquake
relief and rehabilitation continues, albeit at a slower pace because
of snow and the freezing winter cold.
As of the present time,
donations totaling approximately $425,000 have
been received by the Eqbal Ahmad Foundation (Princeton) and the
Eqbal
Ahmad Memorial Education Foundation (Islamabad). This was far beyond
anything we had expected. We were quite stunned to receive a cheque
for
$200,000 from an anonymous donor, who is most probably on this mailing
list, and would like to say a special thanks to him or her.
Approximately $250,000
of the received funds have so far been spent, the
bulk of this has gone towards the construction of 843 primitive
shelters
(wooden frame with corrugated iron sheets on all sides and some
basic
insulation on the inside). These are distributed across Kashmir
and NWFP.
Prof. A.H. Nayyar and Mr. Iqbal Bali have put in a huge amount of
effort
in assuring that purchased materials have been sent to the right
people.
In addition, the reconstruction of 15 houses is in progress and
some
relief materials are still being provided. We are tempted to use
the
remaining funds for rebuilding of schools, over 16,000 of which
were
destroyed or damaged. However, we are still exploring possibilities
on
this point and cannot accept any more donations until we are clear
about
this. In any case, no construction activities can seriously begin
for
another 2 months because of weather conditions.
Having just returned
from Batgram (in NWFP), I would like to share a
number of observations with you. Dr. Arif Mumtaz and I had gone
there to
monitor the use of building materials supplied to two villages in
that
area (Shinglipayeen, and another one further north). Among the noteworthy
points:
(1) Life has limped
back to a kind of normalcy, but most people are still
living in tents in spite of the bitter cold. There are two reasons.
First, there are daily after-shocks. Most are small but enough to
scare.
Second, and more importantly, people feel that if they somehow fix
their
houses and move into them, they will be denied compensation (if
and when
it comes) by the army authorities.
(2) We learned from
residents of the two villages that the army has
distributed cheques amounting to Rs 25,000 ($425) to most, but not
all,
villagers. This is a small amount and it is not known to the villagers
whether this is a first installment, or if it will be followed up
by
others. Some think that there will be five more similar installments,
but
nobody really knows. However, to cash these cheques requires a bank
account and almost no one has one. This explains why we saw an incredible
mile-long queue outside Habib Bank in Batgram town on the way to
Shinglipayeen. The bank's business hours are only between 9:00am
and
12:00pm. People have stood outside for days on end. We were told
that one
man froze to death just the night before. What a crying shame. How
can the
bank people be so utterly callous?
(3) Relief has become
a major industry. Aid agencies are present in huge
numbers now, and they have put up large banners along roadsides
to
announce their presence. Islamic organizations predominate, but
there are
several international organizations present as well: Turks, Cubans,
Chinese, UNICEF, USAID, World Food Program,... We saw Chinook helicopters
ferrying goods, but the flights are now far fewer than before. There
is
less army presence in this area as compared to Kashmir, where it
is
seeking to make a political point by being more active.
(4) All said and done,
the forces of God have emerged as the true
beneficiaries of his Wrath. Jihadist organizations, which are formally
banned as terrorist organizations by the government now, have achieved
a
new legitimacy and strength in the earthquake areas. They freely
use
Pakistan army vehicles and facilities, display huge banners, and
flaunt
their weapons. A month earlier, I had the opportunity to ask the
army's
official spokesman in Islamabad how this could be permitted but
did not
receive much of an answer beyond a shrug of his shoulders.
Other than Dr. A.H.Nayyar
and Mr. Iqbal Bali, who were mentioned above,
those involved in the relief work include Dr. Abdul Hameed Toor,
Dr.
Faheem Hussain, Dr. Khurshid Hasanain, Dr. Arif Mumtaz, Ms. Hajra
Ahmad
(EAMEF), Dr. Zia Mian (Princeton, EAF), Dr. Sharon Weiner (Princeton,
EAF), and myself. We all thank you for your support, and look forward
to
the time when the balance of funds goes to zero and our responsibility
come to an end.
With best regards,
Pervez
---------------
Pervez Hoodbhoy
Professor of Physics
Quaid-e-Azam University
Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
Phone (R): 92-51-2824257
Phone (O): 92-51-2829914
