ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: Wednesday will dawn with special prayers as victims of the Margalla Towers tragedy gather at the site to remember those who lost their lives in the October 8 earthquake three years ago, appealing to people to join them to remember the day when Islamabad experienced one of the worst tragedies in its history.

Those whose dear ones were killed in the tragedy will gather at the site at 8:52am to pray for the departed souls. Three years on, the families which once lived in the multi-storey residential apartments are still dealing with emotional aftershocks. Haunted by the psychological trauma of the deadly earthquake, scenes of the destruction of property and loss of lives are still considerably fresh. As many as 74 people including children and foreign nationals lost their lives. Over a hundred were injured and many left disabled. Those who had been displaced mourn the loss of property and a loving neighbourhood.

The families demand that the report of the prime minister’s inspection committee should be made public and that Ramzan Khokhar, the owner and builder of the Towers, be dealt with according to law rather than being compensated for his five apartments that caved in.

Mohammad Fahd Mahboob Haider and his family were directly affected in the tragedy. His father Maj (retired) Mahboob Haider, 18-year-old cousin and a housemaid died in the collapse.

“My mother, Alhamdulilah, was recovered from the rubble with multiple fractures. We, the residents are being compensated only for property that too at the rate of 2005 real estate market prices. But what is happening is totally outrageous, that the constructor (Mr Khokhar) who was declared a fugitive of law by the Supreme Court and was arrested earlier this year is not only likely to get away with his crime but is also being paid for his five flats from the compensation we all are receiving,” he said.

“He is getting paid just as any other affected person of the Towers, the very disaster he himself is responsible for,” Mr Hiader complained, adding “this too is being done by the Supreme Court that is supposed to be giving us relief. Justice demands that his ‘so called’ share be distributed among the affected people who are still homeless.”

Meanwhile, in a message on the third anniversary of the tragedy, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan has drawn the government’s attention towards the after-effects of the earthquake that had made life of local residents miserable.

He said even today people in Azad Kashmir were homeless or they were living in tents with their families.

Mr Khan said after the earthquake, the world community had extended financial help for the rehabilitation of the displaced people but still there were no adequate arrangements for their shelter or food supply. However, he appreciated the role of some NGOs who extended every possible help to the people of the affected areas.