KARACHI: ‘Porters of grief and of hope’, a book penned by journalist Nizamuddin Siddiqui, was launched on Sunday to coincide with the first anniversary of the massive temblor that shook Pakistan’s north, because this is the event which the book delves into. The book has been written in English. The publishers said its Urdu version will soon be out. The book has been divided into two parts, the first one devoted to chronicling the misery and trauma of the quake-stricken and the second to looking at the role of government and NGOs in the relief effort.

Speaking at the launch ceremony held at the Karachi Press Club, Nizam Siddiqui said the work of youth at the scene of disaster, who were fired up with voluntary zeal, became an inspiration for him to write the book. He said pop icon Fakhr-e-Alam’s efforts to mitigate the misery also motivated him to undertake this job. As a first step, he moved to the quake-devastated areas where he both volunteered in the relief work and conducted research for the book. Hussain Mir said the author’s writing style is lucid and unlike his peers, Nizam has not used words to dramatise the events.Asif Farrukhi appreciated Nizam’s devotion in writing the book. Faisal Edhi shared his bitter experiences of the earthquake. He thanked all the volunteers who helped Edhi Welfare Trust in relief efforts. Tasneem Siddique said there are many unsung heroes who could not be mentioned in the book although they put in great efforts for rescuing the victims and providing relief supplies.
Source: The News
Date:10/9/2006