E-MAIL
*******************
Dear Friends,
I recently returned from Bissian (earthquake hit area) and wanted to
share
my diary with you. I will be uploading some photographs on my website
in the
coming days...In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me if you have
questions or concerns...
My articles will be appearing in The Philadelphia Inquirer and the
Globe and
Mail in the next week or so, ill keep you posted.
All the best
Sharmeen
P.S. This is part 1 of the diary, part 2 will be sent out later this
week
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Diary from Bissian (12 km from Balakot) Pakistan.

Monday December 12th 2005:

Snow has covered the mountains surrounding Balakot. At night, the
temprature
drops to -15 degrees as families huddle close together to keep warm.
The
tents provided by the relief organizations do little to keep the cold
wind
from blowing through. Balakot is a graveyard and everyone here has a
story
that breaks your heart.

I arrived at the Khanpur Medical relief Camp to volunteer as a
translator
for the Cuban doctors who have come on a 6 month stint to provide
medical
assistance in the earthquake affected zone. As the helicopter hovered
above,
i could see the destruction below. The city of Balakot and its
surrounding
areas are now refugee zones. Entire buildings have collapsed, roads
have
split open, houses crushed underneath the mountains. Amidst the debris
rows
of UNHCR tents line the side of the road. The stench of dead bodies
still
lingers in the air, and there is a sense of desperation amongst the
refugees, for them their world has come crashing down and the relief
organizations can never fill the void the earthquake has left in their
lives.

Some 400 patients visit Khanpur Medical camp each day to get free
medicines,
consultations, x rays, ECG tests, Ultra sounds. The camp run by Cuban
doctors provides much needed relief to the people in this area who are
suffering from broken bones, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases,
severe
kidney problems, diarrhea, scabies, urinary infections and post
traumatic
disorders. These are the lucky ones, they made it through the brutal
earthquake and the aftershocks...But they know that they will not
survive
the winter in these conditions.

On my first afternoon as a translator for the Cuban doctors, i saw two
babies who were about to succumb to severe pneumonia. The doctors
watched
helplessly, they couldnt find the words to comfort the parents. The
babies
died two days later. A woman arrived with crushed pelvic bones. A wall
already weak from the tremors had come crashing down on her that
morning.
Her left leg had been crushed in the earthquake more than two months
ago and
she weighed less than 45 kg.

The tent i was sharing with two other volunteers was freezing cold that
night. Gas heaters are not allowed inside tents because of the danger
they
pose. Already several fires in nearby camps have claimed the lives of
young
children. My fingers and toes were numb as i struggled to sleep. In the
tent
behind me a baby wailed the night through. These are the brutal living
conditions that these people have to endure on a daily basis. No
photograph,
television news piece can do justice to what these people are going
through.

At 2:47 a.m. an earthquake (not a tremor) on a 6.6 richter scale rocked
the
area. The refugees rushed out of their tents, the babies started
howling and
fear spread through the camp. The earth shook with intensity, a loud
bang
and then silence. Then, the wailing began again. The fear of not
knowing
which building will fall next, which family member will succumb next
has
shaken these people to the core. Everywhere i went, the same question
was
repeated, "why are we being punished, what have we done to deserve
this?"
For many in Balakot, the world has already come to an end, the lights
have
already dimmed...Some time later, most people returned to their tents.
They
had seen another earthquake through and when the call to prayers was
announced at dawn, they headed to the mosque to thank god for saving
them
yet again.

Tuesday December 13th 2005:

At 7 a.m. the patients start to line up. Some walk down for miles from
their
tents in the mountains, others come from as far away as Muzzafrabad.
The
Cuban doctors have built quite a reputation for themselves here and the
locals have taken to them immediately. Their quiet, unassuming ways
have won
them respect here. Their message is clear, they are here to stay and
are
going to help as many people as possibl. These doctors and nurses are
taking
urdu language lessons from Mr. Bhatti (the camp director) so that they
can
communicate more effectively with their patients. Their dedication is
an
inspiration to the other relief workers in the area.

Kiran Bibi a twenty five year old woman who lost 3 children in the
earthquake and whose only surviving child is in danger of succumbing to
a
respiratory disease, cannot find the words to thank the doctors for
helping
her. Tears stream down her face when the doctors give her free
medicines,
kind words and reassurances that they are here 24 hours a day for her
if she
needs them.

That afternoon i took a walk through the refugee camp. Outside the
tents,
some women washed their clothes, others cooked lunch. The poor sanitary
conditions have taken a toll on their lives. Their children play in the
dirt
amongst piles of feces and garbage and because of the cold, there is
little
opportunity for them to bathe. Saima Bibi who lost her husband and a
grandson in the earthquake watches her five year old son with dismay.
"He
has stopped going to school, he doesnt listen to me anymore," she tells
me.
"He is so scared at night and continues to ask me where his father is.
We
have lost everything, i dont know why god spared me, he should have
taken me
away to. Death would have been better than this miserable life." I dont
have
any answers for her so i walk away.

That evening i sat with a few Cuban doctors to understand why they
chose to
come to Pakistan, since Cuba and Pakistan do not have any diplomatic
relationship, since the people of the two countries do not share the
same
culture, language or religion, many of us are intrigued by the help
that the
Cuban government has given Pakistan. Over 1500 doctors have come on a 6
month stint and are working in 30 such camps accross the devestated
zone.

Maily Betancourt is a gynocologist and a mother of a 10 year old. She
volunteered to come to Pakistan because she was moved by the images she
saw
on television after the earthquake. "It is my duty to help anyone who
is in
pain anywhere in the world," she tells me. Even though she is
unaccustomed
to the harsh winter and life in a tent she strives ahead because "the
people
of Pakistan need medical help now." The Cuban help has not made
headlines
around the world, but the work they are doing every day is making a
difference in the lives of thousands of people.


Wednesday December 14th 2005

Its been three days since i've had a bath! But ive become use to the
conditions in the camp. I was woken up at 5 a.m. this morning by the
call
for prayers. The local cleric spoke at length about the earthquake on a
loud
speaker making sure that people could hear him for miles. His message
was
disturbing to say the least, he reinforced the fact that as long as the
people of the area were involved in immoral activities, the earthquakes
would continue. I had half a mind to walk over and ask him what immoral
activities he was referring to, but given the circumstances, i
refrained.

Down the road from the medical camp, several Islamic radical groups
have set
up their tents. They are also providing food, shelter and medicines to
the
people in the area. And since these people need all the help they can
get,
one cannot deny that the these groups are filling a void and doing
important
work. However, these people have a hidden agenda no doubt, as i
discovered
that afternoon.

Mini vans packed with islamic religious school students whiz through
the
streets. On a loud speaker they announce that their camps are willing
to
accept everyone. They boast about the medical help their doctors have
provided to the people, and reassure them that when the foreign
volunteers,
the Pakistan army and the Pakistani NGO's leave, they will still be
there.
Before the earthquake Balakot was a fertile recruiting ground for many
Jihadi Kashmiri organizations and these people want to make sure that
the
people of this area continue to support them. So ever so often they
take to
the streets announcing their feats and encouraging people to support
their
noble cause. A troubling sign no doubt.

Before coming to the region, i had read reports that the Pakistan army
was
not doing enough to help the people affected by the earthquake. But
once i
got there, i understood the gravity of the situation. The Pakistan army
has
a mammoth task ahead of them and they are trying their best to cope
with the
situation. No third world country is equipped to handle a disaster of
this
magnitude. I see Pakistani army helicopters, trucks, personnel carrying
supplies, setting up camps and rebuilding broken roads and bridges.
They
work around the clock, but there is always something left to do at the
end
of the day. More demands and more expectations...

Khan Sahib a seventy year old grandfather put the situation in context
for
me that evening. He has lost his entire family, including several
grandchildren. "When god takes everything away, all at once. Lives,
property, health, wealth, well then nobody can ever replace it all, as
much
as they try to. We are grateful to the army, the volunteers the non
profits,
they are doing what they can, but they can never bring back our loved
ones,
our homes, our lives. so nothing they can ever do, will be enough."

That night, the director of the camp informed us that with the
tempratures
dropping, and the illnesses multiplying, medicines were running in
short
supply. He would have to start reaching out to people in order to fill
the
void. As the world's attention drifts away from Pakistan, the
international
help seems to be drying up. A second wave of disastor is around the
corner
for Pakistan...As soon as the first snow falls in the valley, the death
toll
is bound to rise...Last year at this time, the valleys were covered
with
snow, so everyone here knows its only a matter of time before the first
flake drifts down, bringing with it more death and destruction.
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Part 2 of the diary will follow in a few days....



Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy sharmeenobaidfilms.com