Nagar

Shaheed Malik Ashtar – the paramedic, the man, the wrestling fan, the migrant, and my savior

Published

4 years ago

March 29, 2020

Riaz Akbar

Photo: Shabbir Mir (Facebook)

Martyrs defending against COVID-19

A deluge of social media notifications woke me up this morning on the other side of the world to the devastating news of Dr. Malik Ashtar’s passing from COVID-19. His story is worth telling, so bear with me. I will be concise.

Malik Ashtar, the paramedic.

Dr. Malik Ashtar was the most recognizable face of Sumayar’s healthcare system. He was a paramedic but everyone called him doctor sb, and for the longest period ever he was the sole and unofficial chief medical officer of the valley- without any privileges but with every responsibility. The government had appointed him a technical assistant in radiology or something similar, but for all practical purposes, he was the chief physician of the valley.

He catered to the needs of hundreds of patients and would try as hard as he could to fix things himself instead of referring them to the District Headquarters Hospital in Gilgit city – a 100 kilometers away as it would not be affordable for most of the poor villagers. He would not shy away from hard jobs in any way, so it was natural that when the coronavirus patients reached him, he quickly responded – without any regard to his own safety, without any protective gear.

Malik Ashtar, the man

He had a calming presence, a wide smile, and a humble demeanor. I am sure few people commanded as much respect for the valley as he did. He didn’t know personal time from professional time, and in his role, it wasn’t possible for him either. No excuse like extreme weather, lack of transportation, fatigue would come in his way of rendering his services.

So when the infected patients began rolling into his clinic, he jumped to treating them, knowing perfectly well that treating them without gear would expose him to great danger and quite possibly death. He knew he was making a choice between his own life and the life of his patients. He made the ultimate sacrifice.

I am sure he would be proud of the way he bowed out if it were possible for a mortal to witness his/her own passing, and see his people’s grief and gratitude. And if it were possible to choose the manner of one’s departure, he would definitely choose to go just the way he did: die treating others.

Malik Ashtar, the wrestling fan

He was a diehard fan of wrestling. You would find him perched on the front bench of the only TV-owning hotel in Sumayar. Everyone knew that it was his seat and would immediately give it up for him the moment he would enter the hotel. He was very passionate about it. He was not any less devoted to the game than the most ardent fan sitting in the audience of the live game, but he watched recorded VHSs and DVDs.

Last year, while in New Orleans, Louisiana, my Uber passed by the Mercedes-Benz Superdome – which had hosted the Wrestlemania event the previous year, and my thoughts took me to that small hotel hall in my village with Dr. Ashtar and many other regular wrestling fans on the edges of their benches cheering on their favorite wrestlers. As far as I can tell, this was his only source of entertainment in life.

Malik Ashtar, the migrant

Dr. Ashtar was born and raised in the beautiful tourist hub of Hoper, but he chose to make Sumayar his home. As locals would understand this is a very rare thing to happen in Nagar. Internal migration on permanent footing is unheard of. But he fell in love with Sumayar, Nagar, and the people of Sumayar returned the sentiment with great admiration which was on display yesterday. Every single person in Sumayar has a personal story of gratitude and service by this man. I too have a story that I would like to share as my gratitude to the man.

Malik Ashtar, my savior

In 1999, during the month of Ramzan, I suddenly had unbearable pain in my bottom left abdomen and my father was out of the valley. Dr. Ashtar came to my house and tended to me, giving me the injections and the medication. Later that night or the next day, he visited again and took me to Aliabad Hospital in Hunza because he suspected something was off and he couldn’t quite figure it out. I was taken to the hospital in Aliabad, and the doctor there asked me to go to Gilgit headquarters hospital right away.

Dr. Ashtar wanted to accompany me there but had to be at his job in the morning so I insisted he go back. He got off the car in Murtazabad and walked ten kilometers back to Sumayar on that bone-chilling winter night. It was twenty-one years ago, and I have never forgotten it and I will never forget it. When I reached the hospital in Gilgit city in the middle of the night, they rushed me to emergency surgery to remove my appendix as it is in a very risky state. In the two decades since whenever I would run into him, I would swell with gratitude, and I think he could feel my gratitude.

Malik Ashtar, the spiritual man

Doctor sb is known to enjoy the annual feature of the valley: the celebration of the 13 Rajab: the birthday of Imam Ali (AS). It is always a festive occasion with a series of events, but the main event is the poetry recitals on the life of Imam Ali. Poets, young and old, profusely shower admiration on Imam Ali in moving and flowing language. Dr. Malik Ashtar saheb wallowed in its spiritual comfort and peace.

May his soul find eternal peace. Amen.

Riaz Akbar

Riaz Akbar is a Fulbright scholar from the Nagar district of Gilgit-Baltistan with extensive experience in democracy, governance, and youth development. He did his master’s degree in Democracy and Governance from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA.

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Health

Paramedic from Gilgit-Baltistan passes away in the fight against COVID-19

Published

4 years ago

March 29, 2020

GBee Staff

Malik Ashdar Paramedic Nagar Gilgit-Baltistan - COVID-19 Coronavirus deaths

Coronavirus takes the life of another on-duty health worker from Gilgit-Baltistan. Malik Ashtar, a 55-year-old radiology lab worker from Nagar district, had contracted COVID-19 locally while working with affected patients.

He was transferred to a quarantine center set up by the district administration after he showed symptoms. Around a hundred other Coronavirus patients who have recent travel history, mostly to Iran, have been kept in this quarantine center in Minapin, Nagar.

Hundreds of Zaireen who have recently come back from Iran have been kept in various quarantine centers in Gilgit-Baltistan. The most affected districts remain Nagar, Gilgit and Skardu.

The affected paramedic Malik Ashtar passed away four days after being shifted to this quarantine center in Nagar, Gilgit-Baltistan’s most hard-hit district.

His burial took place in Nagar under tight security and only concerned personnel were allowed to perform the final rituals.

Locally transmitted cases are surfacing more frequently as the government tries to contain the pandemic of coronavirus. The doctors and paramedics working with Coronavirus patients across Gilgit-Baltistan face a shortage of proper safety kits.

Earlier, Dr. Usama Riaz, a young doctor from Gilgit-Baltistan, passed away after contracting the coronavirus disease locally. He was also working with Zaireen in Jaglot, Gilgit, passed away in an ICU at DHQ Hospital Gilgit.

Coronavirus cases in Pakistan have crossed the 1500 mark with 28 recovered patients and 16 deaths. Thousands of suspected people with recent travel history or those who have been exposed to patients await testing.

World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that there is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Astore

Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Raises Awareness on National School Safety Day in Pakistan

Published

5 years ago

May 21, 2019

GBee Staff

Photo: AKAH

To protect school children from natural disasters and other insecurities, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) convened government education departments, academia, district disaster management authorities and the media in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab.

Mr. Hafiz Noorullah, Education Development Officer, Chitral, said on a radio talk show:

“A lack of awareness and knowledge makes the disaster happen. So there is a need to have more and more information sharing through different media platforms and involvement of young people in interactive discussions to sensitize them on the topics of safety and security.”

Mr. Nawab Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer, AKAH Pakistan said:

“In the 2005 earthquake, Pakistan lost around 20,000 children due to vulnerable structures and lack of awareness and preparedness, which cannot be repeated. We need our schools to be resilient and better prepared
for similar situations. We are thankful to our public and private-sector partners for joining hands with us to achieve this objective.”

For the last 20 years, AKAH has been designing and implementing programmes on Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation in some of Pakistan’s most vulnerable areas. More than 1,000 schools in disaster-prone areas have benefitted from the development of hazard and risk maps, school safety plans, provision of school safety kits, and awareness raising and capacity building of individuals.

School-level awareness raising sessions have been part of the work of the Aga Khan Agency since the Islamabad Conference on School Safety held in 2008. AKAH’s School Safety Programme will contribute towards the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s one million safe schools and hospitals global campaign, and contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and the practical implementation of the Pakistan School Safety Framework.

For further information, please contact:
mehar.aftab@akdn.org

NOTES:
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), which merges the capabilities of Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Aga Khan Development Network’s Disaster Risk Management Initiative focuses on preparing for both sudden and slow-onset disasters. AKAH works to ensure that people live in physical settings that are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters; that residents who do live in high- risk areas are able to cope with disasters in terms of preparedness and response; and that these settings provide access to social and financial services that lead to greater opportunity and a
better quality of life. Initially, priority areas of AKAH will include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and India.

Read more about the agency at: http://www.akdn.org/our-agencies/aga-khan-agency-habitat