The catastrophe claimed at least 80,000 lives while more than one lakh are reportedly injured passing through various phases of medical treatment in different hospitals of Pakistan. Many of them have been perpetually disabled having lost their limbs under the rubble.
Some seriously wounded were even flown to friendly countries for prompt treatment of their critical wounds. The amount of sympathy and the spirit of humanitarian goodwill exhibited by the people of Pakistan has been tremendous so far. This calamity has galvanised and brought the whole nation together, acting in one voice.
This impeccable spirit has impressed the whole world. Doctors, students, teachers, politicians, social workers, parliamentarians, cabinet ministers and last but not the least the Pakistan army have moved for the rescue and relief of their marooned, grief-stricken and hapless brethren in such a brisk manner that has no parallel in the past history of Pakistan.
The tragedy befallen the nation is so big that it needs this remarkable spirit of harmony and national unity to go for a along time to come. The challenge is too formidable to tackle.
Liberal assistance, both in men and material is coming from every nook and corner of the world. This flow of humanitarian aid is welcome and will definitely go a long way in mitigating the sufferings of millions of the earthquake victims.
The scars, however, are much deeper. Healing of these wounds will take scores of years, if not centuries. This will require a sustained effort spread over many years. This gigantic task must include the endeavours of all the political forces, the government, professional groups, the ethnic outfits, social organisations and members of medical and engineering professions more in a spirit of oneness and selflessness.
The critical situation we are locked in demands both the government and the opposition to set aside all their grudges and join hands to face the apparently insurmountable challenge, the biggest in the nation's history.
A time of self-assessment and resurrection for all of us has come. It is time to look inward and come out with a new collective vision by avoiding the despicable habit of scoring points on each other in the supreme interest of the nation as well as in the interest of the people in acute distress.
The tragedy and its enormity warrant us something new with all sincerity. Let us make an honest and unconditional resolve from the core of our hearts that no such act or action emerges from any side that causes raptures and frictions at this time of unprecedented unity and matchless cohesion found in the whole nation since the doomsday of October 8.
The other day uproar was witnessed in the Frontier Assembly's session at Peshawar on a Bill (Hasba bill). Copies of the Bill were seen being thrown on the treasury members by the opposition in an atmosphere of hysteria. Foul language was used against each other?
The whole house gave a look of a fish bazaar. Is it time for such nasty and frivolous things? The simple answer is an emphatic NO. Whose fault- the government or the opposition - is not the question I want to ask here. The only question that I want to raise here is that the time was not opportune for this controversial piece of legislation that has already been declared as contentious and some portion of which ultra vires of the Constitution by the apex court of Pakistan.
What a hurry on the part of treasury benches? They should at least have demonstrated patience in tabling this document for a few more months as the harmonious situation prevailing now in the whole of Pakistan is sine-qua-non for continuing the colossal task of relief and rehabilitation of millions of people marooned by the disaster. Why create a fuss when hundreds of bodies of innocent people are still lying under the rubble.
Another point that I want to bring to the notice of our leaders in this trying situation is that they should in their benign efforts for the solace of victims of the deadly earthquake take due care of the patients being treated in various hospitals in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Hazara and other parts of the country.
Their frequent visits that are generally seen more as ornamental to these hospitals in the presence of a large corps of security People, dozens of TV and still cameras are more a source of concern and inconvenience than solace. The doctors at these hospitals are also in a perpetual mental unease due to these VIP cosmetic visits that have almost become unbearable for them.
There are numerous other avenues of demonstrating compassion and sympathy to those bodily or mentally hurt in the catastrophe and anxiously awaiting help more in practical terms.
According to medical practitioners these sojourns by the VIPs have been adversely affecting the care and intensity of treatment. My advice to our political pundits is to direct their visits to the rehabilitation centres, the tented villages but not to the hospitals. One can hope that their visits to these places will generate the same level and quantum of over publicity. Overdoing any way is bad.
Moderation should be our guiding principle in this national tragedy. The VIP culture should not be superimposed in such a way as to affect the working and efficiency of the army, the relief agencies, the doctors, the volunteers, the civil administration-----the lot that has been at the real helm of affairs in the field. Let the supreme objective of all of us be the rescue and relief and nothing else.
There is another aspect in the aftermath of the tragedy. It pertains to the role and voluntary services rendered by the people in the quake-hit towns. While acknowledging the gigantic task and relief services of the troops in an extremely arduous situation in the mountain ranges, let me say ungrudgingly that it would have been far better had the local volunteers been freely allowed to join the emergency rescue operations individually and collectively to retrieve the trapped bodies from piles of rubble, pulling out the injured men, women and children for medical treatment and helping those traumatised people at the very beginning.
Undue restrictions on movement of the volunteers, though imposed with a good intention, however, caused much of delay in extending timely help to the unfortunate victims mostly the shocked survivors. Such a situation could have been avoided but perhaps chaos and a state of uncertainty ruled everywhere.
Looking at the scale and magnitude of the death and destruction wrought by the catastrophe on the morning of October 8, and its terrible overall effects that will be more visible in days to come.
Every sane person in the polity should contribute to a new future and a new life in the larger national interest. It is in his/her own interest and also in the interest of his/her own future generations as well.
The role of those in power and those out of power in such circumstances has assumed extraordinary significance that demands of them to shun their petty grudges, wranglings both inside and outside the elected houses and come out with a concrete vision and sincere sagacity to maintain the current tempo of unprecedented national unity, harmony and enviable cohesion to face the prevailing crisis in utter unison triggered by nature with all its horrors.
The nation on its part is showing a remarkable sense of practical unity at these trying times in the country's history, and an ordinary man or woman expects exactly the same from leaders of all shades. So, the role and responsibility of these political stewards have risen manifold with genuine expectations from them of taking the shocked nation to the shore from turbulent waters by practically exhibiting a great sense of statesmanship and loyalty to the soil.