Quake affected people hold demo
By Adnan Rafique

Islamabad—A large number of people from earthquake affected areas Balakot, Batagram, Bagh Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad gathered in front of Parliament House and demonstrated a protest rally on constitutional avenue right before the Supreme Court of Pakistan as they were not allowed to cross beyond that limit. They aimed to demonstrate in front of ERRA office housed in Prime Minister Secretariat. The participants wearing black and red ribbons on their shoulder were carrying banners and placards bearing their demands and other defamed slogans against the ERRA and its Vice Chairman Major General Nadeem and his uniformed team responsible to rehabilitate the earthquake affectees.
They were also chanting slogans against the President General Pervez Musharraf and other Government functionaries. The protesters were so furious that they virtually abused the uniformed establishment alleging them for their unethical and inhuman treatment and not entertaining their demands in the earthquake affected area.
Actionaid Peshawar Chapter in collaboration with Sungi and other civil society organization had managed the show by arranging gathering of thousands of people from the affected areas. The law enforcing force stopped the protesters before the Supreme Court of Pakistan where they were made to sit.
There they started delivering their furious speeches against the ERRA/PERRA. Many speakers alleged that all the government agencies assigned the compensation processing job, right from Patwari to Nazims and NOC issuing authorities were all involved in mollified and corrupt practices while processing their claims for compensation.
They said that the policies regarding reconstruction and rehabilitation developed by ERRA are neither people-concerned nor representative of their rights and needs rather these are arbitrary and have added to their frustration and miseries.
They said in most cases the rules devised for landowners and tenants have created mistrust between the parties and have led to disputes.
The compensation policy is based on a standard rule of one-roof which disregards the needs of extended families which has resulted in the marginalization of widows who have no resource to secure justice. They demanded full participation in policies affecting their lives and liveli-hoods and also overseeing their implementation. They also demanded that the recon-struction process should entail local preferences, knowledge and resources.
The amount should be increased substantially to provide for the high costs of carriage and labour, especially for the poor and vulnerable and those living in difficult and hard to reach areas. Further the amount must be paid in lumpsum to expedite the reconstruc-tion process before the winter.
The speakers also demanded that immediate action should be taken against all those indulging indulged in corrupt practices and reimbursement of the looted public money.