Earthquake

quake),” he added.

The letter, issued by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) and dated November 1, stated: “An Information Report has been received from the Directorate General, Inter-Services Intelligence that there is, reportedly, likelihood, of large scale earthquake, as being expected, in Indian Ocean in near future which may vigorously shake the Asian continental areas, including Pakistan.”

The letter asked concerned departments “to be on vigil and take care of any natural disaster”.

The deputy chairman of ERRA, which was formed after the deadly 2005 earthquake in Kashmir and is largely manned by military personnel, also formed a three-member team of retired army officers to prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) “on priority” to cope with an earthquake and for response and early recovery.

An official of ERRA confirmed the authenticity of the leaked letter to The Nation daily but sought to play it down as a “routine matter”. The newspaper also reported that ERRA’s deputy chairman had sought a report on the leak of the official letter.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, was among those who poked fun at the letter, saying in a tweet: “ISI predicts earthquake in Indian Ocean. Didn’t know it was #Paki- stan’s Geological Survey & Early Earthquake Warning system too.”