The earthquake

October 8 is a grim reminder of the cataclysmic earthquake that laid waste the city of Bagh in Kashmir where I, as a brigade commander in 2005, had to pick the pieces in terms of relief as well as reconstruction operation. It was a gruesome sight with the whole area pummelled by the wrath of nature. My troops rose stoically and courageously, unmindful of their personal safety and set about the gargantuan task of rescue and relief.
It was a time when the human spirit was on full display. The earthquake left us many lessons. There is a need for infrastructure development and investment in human security more than investment in guns and missiles. Adherence to seismically correct building codes and proper town planning also figured in. Ten years down the road we have made some progress but we have also forgotten many lessons that may one day be revisited by nature.
Brig (r) Raashid Wali Janjua
Rawalpindi