MUZAFFARABAD: Despite promises made by successive governments, nine years after the devastating 2005 earthquake hit the northern areas of the country, only 5,200 projects out of 8,000 have been completed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Talking to The Express Tribune in connection with the ninth anniversary of October 8, 2005 earthquake, State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (SERRA) Secretary Sardar Rahim Khan said around Rs170 billion have been spent on reconstruction from the approved Rs210 billion funds while Rs40 billion have not been released so far.
“The donors’ projects have almost been completed in the earthquake-hit areas while the UK, USAID and Canadian government funded projects worth Rs18 billion have been completed and the remaining eight per cent will be completed by the end of this year. “The three countries have fulfilled their commitments with the government of Pakistan by constructing state-of-the-art educational institutions in the area,” Rahim added.
He further stated that authorities immediately needed Rs17 billion to complete the pending and ongoing projects.
In response to a question, the secretary said the 2010 flash floods had also adversely affected the smooth reconstruction process, adding that the international community did not support Pakistan the way they had after the 2005 earthquake.
Rahim said more than 100,000 children still do not have proper schools owing to lags in reconstruction and rehabilitation. “We need immediate funds for these schools,” he concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2014.
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International community, mostly western nations, contributed $3B towards earthquake relief for the victims. Instead of spending this money to help the earthquake victims, Musharraf spent it on military hardware, an act that raised the eyebrows of the donors. Ever since, the international community has not been very sympathetic to Pakistan's request for aid for other natural disasters. The case in point is the recent floods, no country has sent a singe dollar.
....and how long did it take Nawaz to build his multi acre complex at Raiwind.....and Zardari his new villa in Dubai......and Musharraf his farm house at Chak Shahzad.
Its a damn shame that our leaders will not even spare the downtrodden of society, looting and corruption has become the norm in Kashmir/Pakistan. The only reason these so called leaders want to get into their government positions is to steal a s much as possible - as quick as possible. The leaders do not serve the interests of the public, they become millionares overnight and that's not from any hard work or business -string them up
The general public is so nieve , they vote for these idiots time and time again. ITs almost in similitude to Stockholm syndrome affect.
Over fifty years and look where the nation is , if the money actually donated/loaned was used on the state -it would be an amazing place with very little poverty and very few uneducated.