MIRPUR (AJK)  -  The Azad Jammu Kashmir is all set to observe the 13th anniversary of history's worst killer earthquake of October 8, 2005 on Monday - (today) as the National Disaster Awareness Day. Glowing tribute will be paid to the martyrs and other victims of the history's first-ever most-worst deadly catastrophe in the region.

The anniversary will be observed as the National Disaster Awareness Day to mark the 13th anniversary the calamity as 'day of firmness and determination for reconstruction - coupled with special prayers for the rest of the departed souls of the quake victims besides expressing solidarity and sympathies with the survivors of the history's most worst natural catastrophe.

The day will dawn with special prayers in the mosques at Fajr across AJK for the departed souls of the earthquake victims. It will be a gazetted holiday throughout AJK State.

Major ceremony to mark the day will be held at the capital city of Muzaffarabad, with the sign of deep-rooted love and affection by the government and the people of Pakistan as well as the national and international NGOs and brotherly foreign countries who contributed their exceptional share for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the quake-hit zone of AJK, the State National Disaster Management Authorities sources told this Correspondent.

Besides, special functions in various parts of AJK to pay glorious tributes to the victims of the killer catastrophe and to raise awareness among the people about adoption of per-cautionary measures to avert the losses in case of any natural catastrophe, will be the hall-mark of the 11th anniversary of the deadly earthquake which had turned bulk of AJK into rubble this day 13 years ago", the sources added.

In Mirpur, the major ceremony will be held at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium where fateha Khawani will be offered for the martyrs and sirens will be blown at 8:52am across the country and two minutes silence will be observed in the memory of the victims of the catastrophe at a ceremony to be started at Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Stadium at 7 O'clock in the morning, Commissioner Mirpur Division Muhammad Tayyeb told this Correspondent when contacted here to inquire about the programs of the anniversary of deadly catastrophe in all three districts of Mirpur division including Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimbher districts.

The district authorities of all the three districts of Mirpur division have given final touches to the programs of the anniversary in the division.

Earlier, a walk of the children dwelling in Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) Complex Mirpur, who had fallen orphan in deadly earthquake, to be begin at 7am from Quaid e Azam Stadium to central Shaheed chowk in the city will be the hall mark of the anniversary.

Major ceremony to pay rich tributes to the victims of the history's worst catastrophe, will be held in the town hall where people from all walks of life besides social and political workers, volunteers and the heads of the nation-building institutions will attend to mark the anniversary.

Several of the mega Development Projects of public welfare have been completed in the AJK capital in the wake of the broad-based phased plan to rehabilitate the AJK metropolis on latest grounds comprising modern civic and other infrastructural facilities. Similar special ceremonies including walks for awareness, seminars and symposiums will also be held in all other parts of AJK in the memory of the martyrs of the devastating quake which left over 75,000 people dead and lakhs of others injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

The ceremonies  will be attended by the people representing all walks of life including social and political workers, lawyers, journalists and members of business fraternity to pay glorious tributes to the victims of history's worst  catastrophe this day 13 years ago in 2005.