Asia Earthquake Relief Update | 9 Nov 2005
Rays of hope under the rubble
As the humanitarian crisis deepens following the earthquake in Pakistan, Open Doors continues to deliver essential aid to refugees and will build tented villages before the harsh Himalayan winter grips the area.
When the winter comes, this man will not survive under a flimsy tent
Although the region of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir is run by extremist Muslims and contains a fledging, persecuted church, an open invitation to Christian organisations from the local government has been issued to bring help to this normally closed area.
A local Christian leader of an underground church said, "This is an important moment in the history of Kashmir. For years, Muslim extremists have said that Christians are evil and only want to convert others by force. If we can show the humanitarian, unconditional love of Christ in the wake of this disaster, we will shatter this caricature.
"And we pray that greater religious freedom may be given as the government sees how much we love these people and wish to help them rebuild their communities."
By 7 November, four trucks laden with fresh drinking water, sacks of wheat flour and rice, tins of cooking oil, thermal blankets and medicines will have visited the region and delivered the aid.
Open Doors partner organisations are also scouting locations to establish two winter camps for hundreds of refugees in earthquake zones by early December.
It is estimated that most refugees from the mountains have buried from 10 to 15 members of their extended family before trekking to towns in search of food and shelter.
One man told a local church member, "There was a rumble of thunder, and I just saw the side of the mountain give way, and watched helplessly as my four children were swept away under tons of rocks.
"They are all dead, and I will probably never even see their bodies again."
'Second wave of death' warning
The 7.6-magnitude earthquake created the most devastation in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, leaving more than 73,000 dead and 80,000 maimed.
Four weeks after the tragedy, about 500,000 people have still received no aid at all as international assistance falls far short of what is needed. It is feared that nearly 1.5 million people do not have adequate shelter to survive the harsh winter.
Aid workers warn of a "second wave of death" from diseases, hunger, and winter's icy grip.
But Open Doors does not seek to be only a relief agency, through its partner organisations in the South Asian church. Said a local leader, "We have two distinctives in this situation - we want to be involved long term in reconstructing this society, and we want to empower the local persecuted Christians to have a greater role in rebuilding their country."
The long-term commitment is demonstrated by a desire to open schools, clinics, and a prosthetic limb hospital for more than 50,000 amputees. One Lahore-based Christian asked, "In a few months, the relief agencies will be gone, but who will be there to help the amputees to walk again? We will be – with God's help."
Persecution pressures increasing
The situation for the local Christians of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, however, is a hard one. The state has been run by extremists since the 1970s when missionaries from other parts of Pakistan were kicked out.
It is impossible for a Christian to buy property or build a church in this region.
In recent years, some believers have been martyred by Muslim extremists. One Christian was wrapped tightly in a blanket with a Bible across his chest and shot.
The Christian community keeps a very low profile, hiding their Scriptures, meeting in secret, living a double life. If discovered, they face a terrible choice: deny Christ or die!
Open Doors team members pray for the elderly pastor of a church in flattened Balakot, Kasmir, the epicentre of the earthquake
In the aftermath of the earthquake, according to some local families, it has been even harder. One Christian confided, "Some Muslim extremists came with aid, and they said it is because everyone has fallen away from the true practice of Islam that all this is happening. So we are not only facing hunger, we are facing a re-radicalising of the population."
On the other hand, the extremists are not having it all their own way. A Pakistani Christian who just returned from the region reported, "Anyone who comes with aid is welcomed as a hero, no matter what religion they are from.
"And the more Christians who come with food, blankets and medicine, the more we strengthen the forces of moderation in the land, and maybe in the long term, show that Christians can be a wonderful force for good here."
He added, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if this dreadful earthquake could end up creating more openness and freedom, and bringing a new level of trust and respect between Christians and Muslims in Kashmir?"
The earthquake was centred in Balakot, and the hills around were full of training camps and storage bunkers for the extremists. It may be that this insurgency has been dealt a fatal blow.
One leading Pakistani Christian says, "In the wake of this terrible tragedy, a door has been opened to show the love of Christ to the Kashmiris who are normally isolated behind mountain walls and walls of extremism.
"Please give us the resources to show the love of Christ in this formerly closed region of the world, and to strengthen the church that remains there."