Our Ninth Mission

Pakistan - Providing Rehabilitation & Assistance

The 2005 South Asia Earthquake was a major earthquake centered in Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-administered Kashmir) and in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). It occurred at ABOUT 9am Pakistan Standard Time (03:50:37 UTC) on 8 October 2005. It registered 7.7 on the Richter scale making it similar in intensity to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. As of 8 November, the government of Pakistan's official death toll was 79,000, while officials say nearly 1,400 people also died in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (Indian-administered Kashmir). The severity of the damage caused by the quake is attributed to severe up thrust, coupled with poor construction.

Khalsa Aid team landed in Pakistan 10 days after the deadly earthquake struck and immediately went in search to identify local partners to carry out our aid mission. As usual it was difficult being in a foreign country and trying to provide aid in the most efficient way.

The team consisting of Ravinder Singh (Ravi) and Tejinder Singh (Teji) were shocked and saddened at the devastation. The town of Balakot gave the Khalsa Aid team its first insight as to what to expect in the affected zone, it was like being in a horror movie. The whole town was destroyed and the people were left to find shelter in the rubble, many bodies were still trapped in under the fallen buildings. The smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming and we had to wear face masks.

Khalsa Aid decided to provide sanitation in the camps around Muzafrabad. The immediate priority was to stop disease spreading through lack of sanitation. Thousands of people were in huddled in very small spaces without access to washrooms or toilets. Over the next few weeks Khalsa Aid built hundreds of toilets and washrooms in Balakot, Bagh and Muzafrabad areas. We also supplied hundreds of cooking utensils and stoves, the stoves were imported from Panjab (India).

The local Sikhs from Lahore were cooking food daily for hundreds in Muzafrabad and Khalsa Aid provided truck loads of fresh vegetables for their wonderful community kitchen.

Recognise all of the human race as one.

- Guru Gobind Singh Ji