Out of fire, into the frying pan!

The 8th October earthquake left masses from all over the country, in agony; some with bleeding hearts, others in painful misery to lead for a life! As soon as the nation came out of the shock of the great disaster, everyone sprung into action, saving the earthquake victims where stuck up in debris and then later, got busy in providing relief to those who had miraculously survived Mother Nature’s wrath. The international community too, since then, has been involved in rapid rescue and relief efforts of the quake victims, while extending generous aid for the same’s rehabilitation, all the while.
Between then and now, a lot has changed. Rescuers have brought in quake victims from the affected areas like Muzaffarabad, Garhi Dopatta and Bagh as in AJK and settled them at various makeshift medical relief centres set up at F-10, H-11, H-8, G-9, Aabpara, former Melody Cinema, Sports Complex and Argentina Park as we look around the Capital and these camps are in addition to various hospitals of the twin cities that are treating quake victims ever since the disaster and thus, are filled to the brim, denying treatment to the twin city residents seeking treatment for various diseases otherwise.
In a way, bringing in quake affectees to the elite Capital was a good decision as the city harbours generous philanthropists and wealthy masses. Where there were fears that the quake affectees’ entrance into the serene city would threaten it’s security, there time has proven otherwise. In fact, the quake victims, though have been saved off the natural tragedy, are struggling for survival in this big bad world; some battling the cold while others being victims of certain social evils which the Capitaliites at large are apologetic of.
First the word was out and through a little investigation, it was proved too that women at Community Center who sought jobs as sources of earning, were being entrapped by certain suspicious ladies roaming around the camps, posing themselves as private volunteers, who used to take the women along and teach them false ways of earning, exploiting their miseries while playing with their emotions and basic needs. Then hushed whispered reached ears, gossiping about the unattended kids and how they were being exploited by the beggar clan. And to top it all, just the other day, Capital Cops recovered two girls abducted from H-11 Tent Village; a place where quake victims’ names are being registered, by two young boys by the way.
The current situation for the quake victims is really ‘out of fire, into the frying pan’. While government is making all out efforts for rehabilitation of quake survivors, there it was to be very, very careful as there are many who have fake faces over their core and are not out to get aid but indulge in various false trades. The masses should identify any suspicious element on the roll at the medical camps and various other areas of the Capital. Provided the masses and authorities work hand in hand, a lid can be effectively put on this nuisance. As for now, the quake victims are not safe and neither are we; the residents of the Capital!

—Uzma Zafar