Corruption mars aid operations

RAWLAKOT—More than a month after the Oct 8 earthquake some survivors accuse that those who died in the disaster are the lucky ones especially now that winter has arrived.
While the rain in the earthquake-affected areas has intensified the problem, the relief operations still lacks direction and there are reports of malpractice and corruption, all of which has prevented any real progress in the fight to save and assist the survivors.
Even one month after the tragedy struck the death toll is still disputed. The official death toll is 87,000 but donors and aid agencies have placed the figures much higher. Many of those injured after the quake were also shifted to various hospitals around the country, as far as cities in the south such as Karachi and others in the north, like Peshawar. The biggest problem for many survivors is locating their loved ones as there appears to be no clear data as to where some of the people have been transferred.
“The lack of coordination and miscommunication is the biggest problem,” said Saleem Khan of Rawalakot in Azad Jammu Kashmir. “Initially the government projected that Rawalakot was the worst hit by the earthquake and was completely destroyed,” said Khan, who works in Saudi Arabia but rushed to the country as soon as he learnt of the disaster.
“So all us, residents of Rawalakot, who make up 60 per cent of the overseas expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, rushed to our hometown. When we reached here we found that Rawalakot was the least hit area out of the region,” he said. “It is really pointless that we traveled to the country after hearing false news that Rawalakot had vanished,” said Khan. “The sad part was that all relief operation was diverted to Rawalakot when it was required in Muzaffarabad, Balakot, Bagh and other places. I personally visited teams of World Health Organization doctors and other international medical teams who had rushed to Rawalakot after traveling many hours on a difficult journey and they then said that government misguided them and that their facilities were actually required elsewhere,” Khan said.
Although a huge amount of international aid poured in immediately after the earthquake, including warm blankets, special winterized tents with toilets and tin, many of the camps set up for the survivors have not received these supplies. There are allegations that the government had not released the imported aid items. Some NGOs persons made an attempt to visit the Chaklala Air base in Rawalpindi where these items are stored, but they were denied. The government said that initially the media was allowed to visit the area but all media is now banned from the air base.
For many, the confusion brings to mind the days after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan when western aid was pouring in for Afghan refugees in Pakistan during the military rule of the late General Zia ul-Haq.—INP