Floods dampen spirits in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Saturday, August 14, in Islamabad was grim and sober and lacked the usual enthusiasm that surrounds Independence Day.

The number of people on roads and in markets was much less than previous years. Karachi Company in sector G-9 and Super Market in sector F-6, usually filled with people on August 14, bore a deserted look. The shopkeepers waited, with drooped shoulders, for the customers to come but few showed up.

“My wife stitches national flags. I come from Bagh every year to sell these flags but this year very few people bought them,” a shopkeeper in G-9 Markaz told The Express Tribune.

Asif Rehman, a businessman, said that he decided against celebrating to show solidarity with the six million people that had been rendered homeless by the devastating floods in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We see our brothers and sisters crying for help on television everyday; how can we even think of celebrating at such a time?” he said.

Asim Qureshi, a student of International Islamic University, had similar views.

He said, “My friends and I decided against celebrating the Independence Day to show solidarity with millions of people, who have become homeless and left at nature’s mercy.”

“I urge other people to also cut on unnecessary expenditure and donate the money to flood-relief agencies,” he added.

Some people were not content with just donations. Dr Naheed Lashari, a clinical psychologist, said, “I celebrated the Independence Day by visiting the flood-hit areas and handing out food.”

Ramzan Sajid, official spokesperson of Capital Development Authority, said that they had cancelled all planned shows on Saturday. “No government buildings will be lit up,” he added.

However the spirits of some youth were not dampened and they were seen throwing firecrackers onto the roads late on Friday night. They even inconvenienced the passing cars by throwing firecrackers at them.

“We do it for the sake of fun,” Majeed Rufi, a 10th grader, told The Express Tribune as he joined the rest of his friends near Faizabad Bridge.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2010.