On 8 October 2005, an enormous 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Kashmir in one of the worst natural disasters ever recorded in South Asia.
With the epicentre located 12 miles north-east of the city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the earthquake caused extensive destruction, leaving millions of people displaced.
At least 79,000 people were killed and more than 32,000 buildings collapsed in Kashmir alone, while additional death and destruction were reported in India and Afghanistan. The enormity of the earthquake was so huge that its impact was felt as far away as China.
More than 140 aftershocks followed, severely hampering emergency relief efforts and further traumatising those already struggling to process what they had experienced.
Islamic Relief has been working in Pakistan since 1992 and were well placed to assist aid efforts. Many of our staff were affected by the earthquake and battled through adversity to deliver life-saving support. Emergency aid turned into long-term support as Islamic Relief helped rebuild schools, homes and livelihoods.
Safdar Abdulqayyum, Programme Grants and Reporting Specialist for Islamic for Islamic Relief Pakistan, was living in Rawalpindi, a few hours away from the epicentre, at the time of the earthquake. Today, on the 20th anniversary of the earthquake, Safdar recalls his experiences of the earthquake and Islamic Relief’s emergency response.
The morning of 8 October 2005, began like any other Saturday.
I was resting when suddenly the bed shook violently. Within seconds, it was clear that something was terribly wrong. I reached out for my children, who were frightened and confused, and we rushed out of the house as quickly as possible.
Outside, the street was filled with people; children crying, women praying, and men calling out for their families. Everyone looked terrified, reciting prayers as the earth continued to move beneath our feet.
After what felt like an eternity, the shaking stopped, and people began to cautiously return to their homes, wary of the damage, of broken walls and fallen furniture.
In the following hours, news began to pour in. There were reports of damaged buildings in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, but the real devastation was in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Entire towns and villages had been reduced to rubble. Relief organisations and philanthropists across Pakistan began mobilising rapidly, collecting donations including items such as blankets, food, warm clothing. But the delivery of aid was hampered by landslides and collapsed roads.
The accounts from people living in the affected areas were heartbreaking. They told of a deafening roar from beneath the earth, as if the mountains themselves were crying out. Then came the violent shaking, plaster dust filling the air, and when it stopped, the silence was worse than the noise. That silence was followed by cries from every direction; homes, schools, hospitals, all turned to debris.
As part of Islamic Relief Pakistan’s Child Welfare Programme, I was already familiar with many of the communities that were most affected. Yet, when I visited the area after the earthquake, I could hardly recognise them. Places I knew well had vanished under piles of rubble. Many of the children we supported through sponsorship had lost their lives, and others remained unaccounted for. Those who survived had lost their parents or siblings.
The scale of the destruction was beyond imagination.
Islamic Relief’s own office in Muzaffarabad sustained significant structural damage. Only the basement remained safe to use, so that became the base for our emergency operations. In the open area outside the office, we set up tents to store relief items and coordinate distributions. As Islamic Relief had already been implementing different projects in Neelum Valley since 2002, it quickly mobilised its existing networks.
The small women and children’s hospital and community health workers became the backbone of the early medical response, providing care to the injured and health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in the temporary tent villages that had been erected.
During those early hours and days, we worked with whatever limited resources were available. Hospitals were damaged or overwhelmed so our teams established temporary medical stations in open spaces, parking lots, and any safe area we could find. The lifesaving items distributed included tents, blankets, and food packs, with winterised shelters brought in to protect families from the harsh mountain cold.
Mobile clinics began visiting remote villages, offering medical care and psychological support to survivors. The needs were immense. The most important and critical sectors included shelter, clean water, sanitation, food, and emotional care for thousands of people who had lost everything.
Over time, Islamic Relief transitioned from emergency relief to long-term recovery and reconstruction. Schools were rebuilt, livelihood programmes were launched, and psychosocial support was extended to families coping with loss and trauma. The organisation’s commitment did not end when the emergency phase was over. Islamic Relief remained active through the reconstruction phase, helping communities to rebuild safer homes and strengthen their resilience against future disasters.
Even 20 years later, the memories of that day remain vivid.
The destruction, the fear, and the human suffering are impossible to forget. Yet alongside that pain stands the extraordinary resilience of the people, their faith, and their determination to rebuild their lives. The 2005 earthquake changed Pakistan forever, but it also revealed the strength of its people and the power of compassion that emerged in the face of tragedy.
You can help Islamic Relief support communities affected by disasters around the world. Donate to our Global Emergencies Fund today.
