Sonia Gandhi promises massive aid to Kashmir - India will unfold all its resources to rebuild Kashmir
Nina Sanghvi
Oct. 11, 2005

Sonia Gandhi of India promised all Kashmiris in India and Pakistan resources and compassion.

When Congress President Sonia Gandhi rose to address the quake-hit, the crowd before her was restive and seemed ready for a rampage. But within seconds, the listeners were calm.

With a grim look, Sonia, without spelling out an aid package, said she had come to share their grief, mourn the dead and shoulder the tragedy. And there were cheers. ‘‘I have come to share your grief,’’ she said, adding, ‘‘You won’t find the Centre lacking in its efforts to help you. You will be provided with all the relief you need to reconstruct your houses and shops. Don’t worry.’’

Sonia told them she had already visited the injured and witnessed the scene of destruction. And there was a hush. Sonia’s speech was brief, delivered from the compound of the only intact government building in the area.

But prior to her address, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had a hard time announcing a package of Rs 142 crore—Rs 100 crore as central aid and Rs 42 crore as calamity relief fund. The people interrupted him, shouting and screaming to express anger at the administration.

In fact, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, too, were shouted at while they spoke of the adminstration’s resolve to help the quake victims.

But the people wanted the Army, and not the administration to help them. ‘‘Sara aid Army ke havaley karo (Hand over the entire relief operations to the Army). Wahi hum ko aid denge (They will give us the aid),’’ shouted a villager among the crowd that had gathered to listen to the leaders. ‘‘Nobody in the (civil) administration should be given our money.’’

In fact, the people were so unanimous in expressing gratitude to the Army that it became necessary even for the leaders to laud the troops.

‘‘We can’t deny the commendable role of the Army. They have done a tremendous job,’’ Mufti said and the audience nodded in acknowledgment, as he added, ‘‘We would serve the people better if the Army and the civil administration work together.’’

‘‘We have come specifically for you and I hope we would be able to come up to your expectations,’’ Azad said. He, too ,thanked the Army ‘‘for their support’’.

‘‘It has been 35 hours after the quake but what we have received from the government is just well-meaning statements,’’ said Muhammad Sadiq, a resident of Uri town. ‘‘But for the help of the Army, we would have perished,’’ he said.

As soon as Sonia left Uri, it was back to chaos. The people were all over the place and the main road passing through a ravaged Uri bazaar was choked. This held up even ambulances carrying the injured from the upper reaches. There was anger among villagers from the outskirts of Uri, who thought all the relief and attention was converging on Uri town and nobody was caring for them. ‘‘VIPs are thronging Uri town. Why doesn’t anybody come to us in the hills?’’ Asked Abdul Majid Banday of Dachi village. ‘‘We slept through the night on the slopes, and are hungry.’’

Some spoke of ‘‘complete destruction’’ of their villages, which were still cut off. ‘‘When shall we get help? After we die of hunger?’’ An angry Syed Muhammad Wani of Gharkoot said. He was carrying his 10-year-old son on whom a wall had collapsed during the quake, breaking his legs.

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