The mountains of northern Pakistan, normally alive with the hum of travellers, shepherds, and summer time winds, fell silent this week beneath the burden of a disaster of biblical proportion.
Relentless monsoon rains remodeled rivers into torrents and slopes into landslides, drowning total valleys in a deluge of mud and water. For the survivors, there is no such thing as a regular day left to return to — solely the wreckage of properties, belongings, and family members misplaced.
In simply 48 hours, the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Authority (NDMA) confirmed that nicely over 350 individuals had died as floods and rain-induced landslides carved by way of the rugged terrain.
The toll in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Okay-P) was notably extreme. Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are additionally affected, however the variety of casualties, officers warned, remains to be climbing as rescue groups wrestle to succeed in distant pockets lower off by collapsed roads and bridges.
The Buner district, like Swat and Mansehra, has been left scarred — damaged properties spilling possessions into muddy streets, households looking out by way of rubble for what little will be salvaged.
A refrain of sorrow
An AFP {photograph} from Buner captured the temper of the second: a person, expression hole, standing among the many fragments of what was as soon as his home, sorting by way of his belongings in disbelief.
It’s in opposition to this backdrop of devastation that voices from Pakistan’s cultural and sporting worlds rose in grief and solidarity. On social media, the place tens of millions comply with their each phrase, celebrities and athletes provided prayers and appeals, turning their platforms into conduits of mourning.
Singer Asim Azhar struck a poetic notice in his lament. “At this time, our land weeps,” he wrote, encapsulating the uncooked grief that has swept the nation. “The floods have taken properties, goals, and treasured lives in Pakistan. My coronary heart aches for each mom, father, little one, and soul affected.”
Azhar’s submit didn’t cease at grief. It was additionally a plea. “In moments like these, we should develop into one, one nation, one coronary heart, one hand reaching out to a different. Please hold them in your prayers, and in case you are ready, prolong your assist to trusted reduction efforts. Collectively, we might help heal what has been damaged.”
His phrases captured not simply the loss, but additionally the collective duty many really feel in moments of nationwide tragedy.
Mannequin and actor Nadia Hussain, identified for her candid voice, stored it easy but highly effective. Her submit learn like a whispered prayer: “Ya Allah! Please save our nation from extra disasters.”
Singer Umair Jaswal introduced a notice of warning alongside sympathy. “My prayers are with the departed souls, and my coronary heart goes out to the households enduring unimaginable grief,” he stated, urging residents to not journey to northern areas within the coming days.
His recommendation was sensible: fewer vacationers and automobiles would permit emergency groups to maneuver unhindered. “Let’s stand collectively in prayer, assist, and warning.”
For writer Fatima Bhutto, the devastation was not simply an emotional matter however a political one. Referring to the “horrifying” scenes of destruction, she questioned the state of reduction operations in flood-hit areas.
Her phrases carried the unease of many Pakistanis watching the size of catastrophe unfold with lingering doubts about whether or not assistance is reaching quick sufficient.
From the cricketing circles, the response was additionally swift and heartfelt. Identified for commanding mass followings, gamers used their voices to ship prayers and name for unity.
Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed led with a message of religion: “Ya Allah, defend KPK, defend Pakistan. Grant shelter to the homeless, heal the wounded, and provides persistence to those who misplaced their family members. Ameen.”
Shadab Khan, echoed each grief and hope. On X (previously Twitter), he wrote: “Prayers for the victims, their households, and all these affected. Could Allah grant persistence & ease on this tough time.”
He added: “The devastating floods have taken properties, goals, and lots of treasured lives. On this second, we should stand united as one nation, one coronary heart, one hand reaching out to a different. Maintain them in your prayers, and should you can, assist trusted reduction efforts. As a result of solely TOGETHER, we will rebuild Prayers for everybody.”
Former skipper Azhar Ali posted an analogous attraction: “Maintain them in your prayers, and should you can, assist trusted reduction efforts. As a result of solely TOGETHER, we will rebuild [Pakistan]. Prayers for everybody.”
Fawad Alam directed consideration to the influence on communities in Okay-P: “The floods have taken properties, faculties, and fields in KPK. Let’s make dua and do no matter we will to assist our individuals get again on their ft.”
And quick bowler Hassan Ali underscored the size of displacement: “My ideas and prayers are with all of the flood victims. Many have misplaced lives, many are displaced. Please ship assist and stand with the affected in these arduous occasions. Could Allah defend our individuals.”
Collectively, their messages painted an image of grief shared throughout stadiums and screens, reminding followers that even in sport, the ache of the nation is felt deeply. However past these statements, the fact within the flood-stricken valleys is grim.
What stands out within the flood of on-line messages is not only sorrow, however an insistence on unity and duty. Asim Azhar’s plea for “one nation, one coronary heart” was mirrored virtually word-for-word by cricketers like Azhar Ali and Shadab Khan, an indication that the language of solidarity resonates throughout fields and levels.
Umair Jaswal’s warning in opposition to pointless journey mirrored a sensible consciousness: reduction operations are fragile and each automobile or vacationer can imply delays in assist reaching these in want.
Fatima Bhutto’s critique added one other layer — reminding the nation that solidarity should additionally embrace accountability. And Sarfaraz Ahmed, like Hassan Ali, expressed religion that for a lot of Pakistanis stays the final word supply of hope within the face of catastrophe.
The floodwaters will ultimately recede, however the scars will stay. Within the mountains of Okay-P and the valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK, properties should be rebuilt, livelihoods restored, and households supported by way of grief.
For now, Pakistan’s stars — whether or not singers, writers, fashions, or cricketers — have stepped ahead to amplify the voices of these left unvoiced by catastrophe. Their prayers, their pleas, and their tweets are a reminder that whereas nature could divide, human solidarity can bind a nation collectively.
As Shadab Khan wrote, “Solely TOGETHER, we will rebuild.” Or the phrases of Azhar “Collectively,” we might help heal what has been damaged.” The problem now isn’t solely to mourn, however to behave.
