China will not be requested for more relief items for Gojal Valley
Special Correspondent
Islamabad, Nov 20: The Economic Affairs Division has, reportedly, refused to act on the GB government’s request to ask China for provision of more relief items for the disaster hit Gojal valley and adjacent villages. Responding to a letter sent by GBLA Speaker Wazir Baig, who is also the elected representative of Hunza, the officials at Economic Affairs Division have said that it may not be appropriate for the government to ask China for more relief. They have, instead, instructed the GB government to arrange food and fuel for the disaster affected people.
It is pertinent to note that the Chinese government has already provided food and fuel for the people on twice.
The entire population of Gojal Valley, around 30,000 people, may not be severely affected if the food supplies and fuel doesn’t reach the region. However, there are chances that some families might be affected.
The local people have demanded of the government to conduct a survey in the region to identity highly vulnerable families and households, who can be severely affected due to food shortage, and devise strategies to help them directly, if it is unable to help the entire population.
People of the Gojal Valley have not been able to bring their cash crops, including potato, to the market, which has created financial difficulties for the families who are entirely dependent on farming. Many families have also lost land and other belongings and they may not be in a position to sustain without support.
This relief package was part of the $5 million announced by China Government for the People of the region ,who were affected by Attabad land slide.The economic life of the region is still the same and the cost of agriculture and transportation has increased significantly.The Government should continue to support the region until Karakuram highway is rebuilt.
within available resources in GB the vulnerable families could be helped through fair and transparent survey.We need to reduce the dependency culture. It would be better if in time the Govt asks China to work on spill way to discharge the water we would have safe from too much loss. Need to accelerate the speed of work to restore link with KKH. Government needs to ensure the availability of basic needs like food and health facilities as well. It is said that still Doctor is not available in Gulmit that needs to be arranged immediately.
we would suggest to GBDMA and relevant MNAS to allocate budget in advance to overcome the situation in vulnerable villages.A very responsible personnel of disaster management was passing remarks in a session that money goes in pockets from top to bottom of Govt. Officials. Really it is alarming if this will be remarks of grade 19 govt. official what would be perception of others for Govt. Officials. Who should stop these things,if any department head notices such irregularities and do not dare to stop these social evils or corruption it means he or she himself or herself are involved. If our own resources go in the pockets of specific officials and asking for other countries seems just like kids game.
This is not a matter of dependency but a matter of negligence from FWO NHA and provincial Govt.to restore the KKH.As all means of income are lost like cash crops and business due to Attabad lake presence and the cost of living has increased many fold much before. All the population living in Gojal is directly or indirectly affected and Gojal will be landlocked by the frozen lake from next month. Our Govt. can manage to deliver the edibles and fuel to the region from food department as it has grabbed the quota of Gojal for the last two years as well the petrol and diesel was stolen by the corrupt mafia donated by PRC. We need our basic right and we are not begging. Govt is responsible for this manmade disaster and it must compensate the affected as well.
Are we considered as part of China or part of Pakistan? This is the prime responsibility of the provincial and federal govt.to protect its citizens from such calamities unless the situation is reversed, otherwise the majority who have no source of income will go to starvation and mental stress that will further aggravate the situation.
Mr wazir Baig, keep the 1kg daal, 1kg Rice and 1kg flour , 1 kg cooking oil on behalf of whole Gojalie’s. we dont need such relief in which half kg of the the total 1kg is stolen and the feed of mouse reach to us a the End . we are human not animals in Gojal.
Government must think about the sustainability of the relief, whether food or non food benefits, to be provided to the affectees of Gojal Valley. Providing some kilos of rice, daal or sugar would not help the affected community come out of the losses, difficulties or hurdles they have been facing. Instead, progress of work on the reconstruction of KKH, which is already underwater from the last two years, must be increased and transparently monitored from time to time. That is the only kindness the Government can share with the community of Gojal in the sense of relief:)
The people of Gojal have always demanded for restoration of road link to the rest of Pakistan so that they earn their living out of their own means, by selling their cash crops, by running their businesses. We have never been beggers, it is the government’s failure that they could not manage the disaster rather turned it into a full fledged man mad disaster blocking the economic artery (KKH) since January 04, 2010 and left the whole population of Gojal dependent on the relief goods.
The government has failed even to compensate the people who have lost their livelihood, homes, orchards potato fields after the laps of almost 3 years. What else can we expect from them. instead of delivering the relief items received from our ever tested friend and neighbour, the peoples republic of China, our government officials have resorted to theft of the whole diesel/petrol which was meant for the effected population for heating in the inhospitable winter season.
The government machinery including the representatives/ministers have made the relief operation as an opportunity to loot and make profits.
We do not want relief, rather we want the road link restored so that we are able to sell our products in the market. That is all we have been demanding from the day one.
There is question mark on the role of AKRSP in Gojal?
We know that the means of earnings are not available since last 2 year but AKRSP is not yet able to attract donors for providing means to restore the ways of earning.
People living in Islamabad and Karachi may not feel the miseries of people living in Gojal but there is scope for donors to start development and rehabilitation projects in the region.
Proposed Scope for AKRSP
1.How to help the community to market the crops and fruits specially apples to markets of Islamabad
2. Projects related to rehabilitation of the damaged tourism infrastructure
From day one of the disaster, a committee was formed in Gilgit City to give a collective platform and vision to our youth rather then working in small interest groups but unfortunately the representatives of the ruling party felt it a threat and despite support our contribution, fictitious cases were launched against our activists on political grounds and convicted our youth under ATA to hide their failure and suppress our struggle.I think our whole population is responsible for all the miseries. We never raise our voices because we are political orphans. The Committee arranged a number of protests, Rallies, presentations, documentary films, printed broachers, seminars but our own people of Gojal were not even ready to participate in the struggle and have a common voice. A huge number of our youth are in govt, AKDN or in private jobs and they are out from the struggle and the rest of the population are divided into interest groups, parties. It was very much clear that we will face such situation as due to chain disaster our difficulties will be almost double for many years ahead if we remained salient. As per the party workers of the area is concern, Jialas are completely away from all these activities as they have earned much money from this disaster and they are not ready to accept that the public are facing problems because they are answerable to their party leaders not the public.
We have one option left if we have courage and if we want to solve our problems by forcing the govt is to complete stop the China Border Trade until opening of KKH, otherwise even a worst economic vulnerability is waiting for us in the coming future. We must stop the China Trade because only our land and border is important for the govt not our people.
Why we are not cashing our strategic area of Gojal as it is the real economic hub for Pakistan.
If Pakistan worried for the decline of its border trade after Attabad Disaster then why it is reluctant to release the dam water on war foot basis.
Why even a single resolution is not been passed by GBLA to force Planning Commission of Pakistan which has high jacked Attabad Project and have given to a corrupt agency FWO and not delivers the contract to China govt despite the huge demand of the people of GB particularly Gojal valley.
The so called Chief Minister SMS cries for the smugglers Mafia and Chamber of commerce to compensate their losses and why he is reluctant to compensate the losses of the affactees of Gojal.
Who is responsible to send back the USAID fund back to Punjab despite compensating the losses of our business structure losses and why our representatives are silient.
Where is all the machineries given by Chinese for release of water
It is time to come forward to look to the importance of our area instead for begging the govt as it is a matter of life and death for our future generations.
The relief must remain continue till the road or tunnel on the lake completes.
No need any sort of relief just we request the Govt to rebuild the KKH as soon as possible.