President Arif Alvi declares October 8 National Resilience Day

President Dr. Arif Alvideclared that October 8 would be observed as the National Resilience Day nationwide to express solidarity with the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad who lost their loved ones in the 2005 earthquake.

These areas suffered the most severe damage in the October 8, 2005, earthquake that killed 73,000 people.

In a message on the occasion of remembrance of the earthquake, the president remembered the catastrophic quake resulted in the loss of thousands of human lives, besides affecting the livelihoods of the people and damaging the health, education and road infrastructure.

“The day is also a reminder that we live in a region marked as highly vulnerable to natural disasters, and there is a strong need to strengthen and equip our departments and create awareness among the people about disaster prevention and preparedness", he stated.

“Over the years, Pakistan has witnessed multiple natural disasters in the form of earthquakes, landslides, and recent urban flooding which caused the loss of millions of dollars, not to mention the irreparable loss of lives,” he added.

President Alvi noted that the people of Pakistan had faced disasters with courage and resilience, however, there was a strong need for unrelenting efforts to boost our capabilities, understand the role of climate change and global warming in causing fires, heatwaves, floods and cyclones.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government devised a wise strategy to effectively respond to the pandemic and contain it by enforcing the policy of smart-lockdowns and creating awareness among the people, he added.

He said: “It is heartening to state that the international community widely acknowledged Pakistan’s strategy to overcome the pandemic.”

The government was determined to make communities resilient, build the capacity of departments like the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and make Pakistan a prosperous and stronger country.

“Today, we reaffirm our resolve to continue to invest our energies in this direction to make our future generations safer,” he concluded.