Pakistan Monday observed the second anniversary of October 8 2005 killer earthquake that devastated vast areas of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Azad Kashmir. The high intensity quake affected 3.5 million people living across 30, 000 sq km of areas. In a message on the occasion, President General Pervez Musharraf reassured the nation that the government has not forgotten the sufferings of the earthquake affectees and said people met the challenge with unmatched courage. He was all praise for Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority or ERRA for successfully converting adversity into opportunities. "We as a nation can also hold our heads with pride that we faced this challenge with dignity, honour, courage and an unmatched spirit of patriotism." Musharraf said it is indeed a long and arduous task to rebuild a 30,000 square kilometer area which had been reduced to dust and debris, and rehabilitate 3.5 million souls living across one of the most difficult terrains of the world. The president said he feels satisfied that in a brief period of time, hundreds and thousands seismically safe structures, including houses, hospitals, educational institutions, roads, bridges and water supply schemes have been reconstructed. He noted that the ongoing process of development has been bringing about phenomenal socio economic changes in the entire area.
