The whole nation will remember on Monday thousands who lost lives in the 2005 devastating earthquake, which hit parts of NWFP and Azad Kashmir. On October 8th, a 7.6 magnitude quake levelled buildings - a disaster that killed more than 75,000 and rendered over three million homeless.
The earthquake devastated northern region of Pakistan including nine districts of the NWFP and AJK. Government and NGOs will organise functions in Islamabad and the quack zones to remember those killed and share sympathy with the affected people.
According to World Bank owner-driven reconstruction and rehabilitation of an estimated 425,000 of the approximately 575,000 houses destroyed/damaged in the earthquake affected rural areas is at various stages of completion.
The real challenge is to successfully utilise the owner-driven reconstruction approach, not only to reconstruct houses to seismic resistant construction standards in the immediate run, but, in the longer term, to promote a culture of voluntary seismic compliance in the seismic risk zone.
The October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan destroyed or damaged around 575,000 rural houses, leaving more than 73,000 dead, and rendering over 3 million people without shelter. At least 17,000 students and 900 teachers were among those killed in Kashmir and NWFP, according to the UN.