Anniversary of 2005 earthquake marked

MANSEHRA: The survivors of the 2005 earthquake on Saturday marked the 17 anniversary of the tragedy with sorrows.

Assistant Commissioner Balakot Basharat Bibi, officials of the Education

Department and schoolchildren assembled at the

mass grave of 70 students, who were killed in

the earthquake some 17 years ago and offered the fateha.

They also observed silence for one minute to pay homage to the deceased. The Quran Khawani was also held at the Government High School Balakot, which had collapsed during the earthquake.

The assistant commissioner laid a floral wreath on the mass grave of students at the Government High School Balakot. The president of the traders’ body in Balakot, Anwar Khan, general secretary Danish Iqbal and others visited the mass grave and offered fateha for the departed souls.

The business community, which used to close down shops and markets on this day since the first anniversary of the earthquake, didn’t do so this time as Maulana Qazi Khalil, the prayer leader of the central mosque in Balakot, had announced on Friday that they would neither hold protest nor close down shops and markets.

“The federal and provincial governments as well our lawmakers have become indifferent so our protests cannot make them change to address issues still being faced by the survivors,” Maulana Khalid said.

Former tehsil nazim Junaid Qasim told reporters that the survivors were still without allotment of plots in the New Balakot City housing project despite the spending of over Rs13 billion on land acquisition and development.

“Around 100 schools in Balakot and the rest of the district are yet to be reconstructed and students are still getting the education in open places or rented buildings,” he said.