Ojhri Camp tragedy still haunts residents
PHOTO: FILE
More than three decades have passed, yet the Ojhri Camp tragedy continues to haunt the residents of Rawalpindi.
Those who were maimed for life still reside in the city and make a living for their families. One such victim is Muhammad Siddique, who runs a crockery shop on Murree Road.
“I vividly recall the moment I was on Zafarul Haq Road when a missile struck nearby, leaving me maimed for life. I lost my both legs in the incident,” Siddique tells The Express Tribune.
Despite the government’s promise of aid and support, he found himself alone dealing with the challenges of disability.
Read also: Ojhri Camp lives on in memories
Today, Siddique perseveres, running his crockery shop with determination, his disabled legs are a constant reminder of the tragedy that reshaped his life.
On April 10, 1988, the Ojhri Camp disaster started with a low-density explosion followed by a huge one, after which all sorts of missiles and rockets started raining down in all directions. It was a mini apocalypse for the residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The day is remembered as a day of mass mourning. The devastating effects are still fresh in the minds of people even after 36 years. All the people, children and women, ran barefoot to save their lives. About, 112 people died, 1,200 suffered injuries and 450 were maimed for life. Several young girls who had run from their schools, colleges and homes to save their lives were not found. Nobody knew where they disappeared.
In this tragedy, former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s father, Member of National Assembly Muhammad Khaqan Abbasi, lost his life due to a missile explosion in Islamabad. On the day of the tragedy, then-President General Muhammad Ziaul Haque was on a visit to Kuwait. He immediately returned home. The then Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo also visited Rawalpindi hospitals. The tragedy was so terrible that the first missile exploded at exactly 10am with a loud bang that shook the residents to their core. After that, the endless rain of missiles started. Missiles continued to explode for an hour and 20 minutes, which flew and fell with explosions in an area of 10 kilometres around the Ojhri Camp. These missiles would cause a loud bang wherever they fell. The house, shop or plaza there would collapse and catch fire. Deaths also continued due to fire incidents.
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Panic spread among the people that an enemy country (India) had attacked. At that time, the Soviet-USA war was also at its peak in Afghanistan. There were clouds of fear everywhere. The entire city was engulfed by the thunder of missiles and clouds of smoke.
For an hour and a half, the state and government television were unable to explain what was happening. There was so much fear that for two hours, the police and institutions could not start any rescue operation in the city. Due to these blasts, houses and shops were destroyed in a five-kilometre area around the Ojhri Camp.
It was a great national tragedy, in which a three-day national mourning was also observed. The flag flew at half-mast for three days, but despite the loss of so many precious lives and public property and three inquiries, the people of Rawalpindi and Pakistan could not know how the missiles exploded in the Ojhri Camp in the middle of the city.
How many missiles were stored and how many exploded? Why was this stocked in the middle of the city? Who is responsible for this? If anyone was held responsible in the inquiry, who was it? What action was taken against the person responsible? How many people and officers of the government organisation were martyred in this tragedy? Unfortunately, these questions remain unanswered.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2024.