Employees at offices near blast site resume work

Structural losses may be repaired but the psychological toll may linger on.

KARACHI: Less than 12 hours after the biggest blast in the city’s history rattled the business district, offices resumed work on Friday morning. But it was not business as usual for employees whose workplaces were situated close to the apparent target of Thursday’s bombing.

“From my office window I watched police and emergency crew at the bomb site all day,” Waseem Ashraf told The Express Tribune.

Ashraf works for a telecommunications company out of State Life building number three, located in close proximity to the CID building devastated by the blast. His work space looked more like a war zone than a place of business on Thursday with shattered glass, collapsing false ceilings, broken electric fixtures and debris strewn everywhere.

“All the offices in this building have been affected and cracks have appeared in the entire structure,” said Ashraf as he gazed at the giant crater formed by 1,000 kilogrammes of explosives used just a couple of hundred metres away.

“Everyone is scared and depressed. All day we were curious but could not gather the courage to go down there and take a closer look.”

Unlike Waseem Ashraf and other colleagues who had left the office by the time of the tragic blast, Rizwan Butt was still at work when the explosion took place. “I was on the phone in my office when I heard the blast and the building rattled like it was hit by an earthquake,” recalled Butt.

“As soon as I came out, the guard and driver who were still at the office told me they had been hearing firing for about half an hour before the explosion.”

Despite the fact that the guard and driver suffered minor injuries no one dared to leave the office building until 10 pm, even for medical attention.

Back at work the next morning, Butt said: “We have spent the entire day cleaning up and only some of the people have been asked to stay while others either did not turn up or were sent home.”

Many offices in nearby buildings remained closed on Friday while the ones that did manage to open for business witnessed low attendance. Those who did venture out had to make their way through multiple police cordons before they could enter their offices.

“This area is usually filled with police and Rangers so this tragedy was completely unexpected. I think that people will remain in shock as they have to see this (the bomb site) everyday when they come to work,” commented an individual working close to the CID building.

So far, yet so close

The intensity of the blast was so high that it shattered windows and glass of buildings located miles away from the actual site, like the glass doors of Pakistan State Oil headquarters at Teen Talwar in Clifton.

Further away, glass walls of a shop inside The Forum, a popular shopping mall, were also shattered. Staff at the retail store appeared shaken as they made temporary arrangements to cover the shop’s shattered facade. Structural losses caused by the blast may be repaired over the next few weeks, but the psychological toll on the thousands affected may be much more persevering. However, even in the face of fear and uncertainty, many feel they must resume daily activities quickly.

Requesting anonymity, an employee whose office is situated at Progressive Plaza (another building in close proximity to the site) said: “This city has seen so many tragedies and the human toll goes beyond those unfortunate ones who have lost their lives. But we have to pick up the pieces and keep going. It is the only way forward.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2010.