Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have been perpetually in mourning for more than a decade due to natural and man-made disasters.

The recent earthquake added to the tragedies that have beset KP and Fata in northwestern Pakistan. Though almost all the country was rocked by the tremor, the death and destruction was much more in KP and the adjoining Fata bordering Afghanistan. Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and parts of Punjab also suffered some human and material losses. Besides, the shaking of the earth below one’s feet and the rattling of moveable and immovable things were so nerve-wracking that this could leave unforgettable psychological scars on the memory of many people, particularly children.

Though it is true that the human losses were less despite the fact that this earthquake was the most severe in Pakistan’s history, the damage to houses of the people and to the public infrastructure has been substantial and could turn out to be even more, once it is fully calculated.

The major reason being cited for the lesser human losses is the depth of the epicentre of the tremor in Juram district of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province that borders both China and Pakistan. The depth of the seismic activity has been variously cited from 193 to 212 kilometres. The difference is big if this earthquake is compared with the one that struck Azad Kashmir and Hazara division of KP on October 8, 2005 when the origin of the quake was just 15 kilometres deep. This explains why the October 2005 earthquake killed 87,351 people, injured 75,266 and displaced 2.8 million while this one 10 years later caused the death of less than 300. Another reason could be the lesser density of the population in the mountainous Malakand division that suffered the most in KP due to its proximity to the epicentre of the earthquake in Badakhshan. And in Malakand division, Shangla experienced the highest losses with 50 persons getting killed, followed by Swat, Chitral, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Buner. The densely populated Bajaur Agency recorded the highest losses in Fata.

The magnitude of the earthquake became a matter of controversy. The Meteorological Department of Pakistan said its magnitude was 8.1 on the open-ended Richter scale, but the US Geological Survey initially reported that it measured 7.7 and then revised it downward to 7.5. The difference in the magnitude of the quake confused people, though Pakistan’s Met office insisted it was right because it had seismic centres located in the area close to the places that were directly jolted by the tremor. In comparison, the magnitude of the October 2005 earthquake was 7.6 on the Richter scale.

Initially, it was mentioned as a South Asian earthquake but it turned out later that it had rocked not only Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also India, Nepal, China, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Still Pakistan, which according to the US Geological Survey is located in the most active quake zone, suffered the most and was followed by Afghanistan in terms of human and material losses.

When the earthquake jolted Pakistan at 2.09 pm on October 26, it looked as if this was the end of time and the last day in one’s life. By some miracle and Allah’s mercy, the buildings that swayed like trees didn’t tumble. The first thought that came to mind was to recite the Kalma and seek God’s help. It is on such occasions that a human-being feels utterly helpless.

Once the tremors subsided and the fear of aftershocks became less, the people started looking for family members and calling relatives and friends to find out if they were alright. They also began a search for any cracks that their houses may have developed due to the impact of the tremors. Those with damaged houses and crumbling structures shifted families to their relatives’ homes or waited to get tents from the government or any other donor so that it could be pitched right there near their once busy and lively abodes.

Peshawar once again became the centre of activity being the capital of KP and Fata and also the destination for civil and military officials holding emergency meetings and ruling and opposition politicians visiting quake-injured patients at the central Lady Reading Hospital. The Mughal-era Balahisar Fort sited on the busy Grand Trunk Road in the city provided the most accessible glimpse of the destruction wrought by the tremors as one of its massive wall had collapsed.

The delivery of relief goods, including food and non-food, to the affected population in remote and mountainous areas is posing challenges due to broken roads and cold weather. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and KP’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) were generally found wanting when it mattered the most. The talk of preparedness for handling emergencies often didn’t materialise into action and it was soon obvious that the lessons of the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 floods haven’t been properly learnt.

Helicopters took to the skies in growing numbers to ferry supplies and VIPs and the Saidu Sharif airport in Swat that had remained closed for several years due to the Taliban militancy began receiving its first flights. Thanks to the alertness of the media which now scrutinises everything, the federal and provincial governments responded to the earthquake challenge with an alacrity rarely seen among the ruling elite.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was visiting the quake-hit areas and holding emergency meetings a day after returning home from his shortened official trip to the US and the PTI chief Imran Khan, his major political opponent, was trying to visit as many places as possible and guiding his party’s government in KP to meet the challenge. Other politicians too were trying to look busy even if they weren’t doing much to ease the suffering of the earthquake victims. The Jamaat-e-Islami through its relief wing, Al-Khidmat Foundation, was again ahead of all by quickly mobilising its vast network of branches, services and manpower.

The prime minister seemed to have rightly judged the mood of the nation by arguing that the ruling PML-N won’t do politics on the issue of any natural disaster including the earthquake. He also managed to involve KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who belongs to the PTI, in the decision-making process by consulting him on the relief package that was approved for the affectees. His government promised swift delivery of the compensation package, which was viewed by some as prompt and reasonable and criticised by many as inadequate, and it remains to be seen if the promise would be fulfilled.

Aware of the inherent weaknesses of our system to come up with precise and credible date, the prime minister stressed upon the government officials to provide correct figures of losses. As usual, Nawaz Sharif in the heat of the moment made tall and difficult to materialise promises to the earthquake victims by giving an assurance that the government would assist them to rebuild their damaged house better.

In June 2014, he had promised the tribal people displaced by the military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, in North Waziristan that the government would help them rebuild each and every house. As it turned out, North Waziristan’s displaced people and also those from South Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram, Khyber and other tribal agencies have been complaining that the compensation package announced for them is inadequate.

In a moment of pride, the government declared that it won’t seek foreign aid as it had enough resources to tackle the situation. One hopes this is true because previous such claims didn’t meet the test of time.