Faisal Awan, Pakistan: “We have been forgotten”

Faisal Awan, 20, is one of the many earthquake victims in Pakistan today still unable to rebuild their lives. A resident of the Tangbia displaced persons camp near Doppata, 40km east of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, his land at Nakka Battlian – 1.5km away – has been declared too hazardous to rebuild on by the government. Two years on, there is still no clear policy in dealing with the plight of these people.

“I will never forget the earthquake. Within seconds, we lost everything – something hard to imagine unless you actually go through it. I was working as a teacher at a private school in the area and was happy, as was my family. Life was good. But after the quake, there was no school, our house was gone and the very land we lived on was taken away from us.

“According to the government, the land where our house once sat was no longer safe. There was a high risk of avalanches and landslides after the quake, making it impossible to return to, they said.

“In the initial months afterwards, we heard news that the government was going to help us rebuild – that some kind of compensation would be offered to those who lost their homes. People were excited and there was a sense of optimism. Shortly afterwards, however, we learned our fate.

“At present there are 23 families in our camp - about 150 people - all from the same area, all facing the same problem. Most people are jobless like me as there are no job opportunities in the area.

“We want to go back, but we cannot. We want to rebuild, but we can’t. Instead, we’re told simply to wait so it’s hard to know who to believe now. As we don’t have any land any more, we don’t qualify for any compensation to rebuild and the government isn’t telling us anything. They tell us simply to stay here – a camp without proper sanitation and facilities. There is nothing here. Life is too difficult now and I don’t see a future. Two years on, we have been forgotten.”

ds/mw