Mobile phones services in Lahore were affected for a while after an earthquake measuring 8.1 on Richter scale on Monday jolted much of the country. The temporary signal disturbance prompted many to worry, with panic gripping the entire Lahore where people came out of homes and offices, including those at the Civil Secretariat.
The Disaster Management Authority claimed 94 people had been confirmed dead in the north. Seventy-one of those deaths were in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 18 in the federally administered tribal areas, four in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and one in the Punjab.
The quake was centred in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, 76 kilometres (45 miles) south of Faizabad, reported the United States Geological Survey. Buildings were too evacuated and communications disrupted in other cities. Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique was chairing a meeting in the Civil Secretariat when the quake hit the provincial metropolis. Like many, he too came out of the meeting and remained present with others outside the Health Department. As soon as the tremors ended, the advisor told the health authorities to remain alert and also ordered an urgent assessment of any damage.
An emergent meeting at the Civil Secretariat then took place to review the situation and ensure treatment of the injured in various cities of the province. The meeting also saw the presence of Health Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik, Director General Zahid Pervaiz and Additional Secretary (Technical) Salman Shahid. Advisor Rafique contacted executive district officers of health in all districts, telling them to have the injured treated and keep him informed about the latest developments. He also gave the same instructions to hospitals in Rawalpindi and Sargodha.
Politicians were quick to send in their messages of grief as Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, senior central leader and former deputy premier Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and Moonis Elahi also grieved over the large-scale damage in Khyber Pukhtunkhwah and the tribal areas. "Our hearts are grieved over this tragedy and we equally share the sorrow of the affected," the politicians said. PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has ordered party's Provincial President in Khyber Pukhtunkhwah, Intekhab Khan Chamakni and Vice-President Ajmal Wazir to give him details about the losses. Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed has also been told for taking care of relief measures at the party level.
He then welcomed the army's rescue operations and relief measures, saying, "Our armed forces have always played a grand role in rescuing the fellow countrymen in the natural calamities and in defending the motherland against internal and external enemies."
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