How We Started

These are some of the common questions that we are asked.

How did PakTrust.org start?

Imagine waking up one day to find out that the place where you once lived and still have historical ties (friends/families) has been devastated by one of the worst ever natural disasters.

Our world was truly rocked when we learnt of the humongous earthquake in Northern Pakistan and Kashmir areas on 8th October 2005.

Our ancestral homeland was ripped to shreds and tens of thousands died in an instant. The official count was approx 80,000 people deaths. Hundreds of thousands were injured and millions more were made homeless. Wikipedia has further details on it 2005 Kashmir earthquake page.

With large communities of Pakistan and Kashmiri origin, this was a tragedy that touched pretty much every corner of the UK. There was blanket coverage of the disaster by every news channel. This disaster was played out graphically and vividly with tens of thousands of British people being directly affected.

That day we had a greater calling and we knew, along with many thousands of others, we just had to help. Somehow. Anyhow. We could not sit idly whilst so much horrific pain was being suffered by so many.

As a family we have always helped charitable causes with abundant time and money. Helping those in need, in your local community or in communities far away, is just one of the most rewarding things you can ever do. It brings perspective on your own life. No matter how tough things are in our comfortable western lives, the greater world just has far more and far bigger problems than we ever will.

After the earthquake struck, we helped in any way we could. All family members contributed thousands of pounds. Three family members decided to go to the earthquake zone to help with the relief effort directly. Word spread and many friends, colleagues and relatives gave substantial donations, knowing every penny would get to those in need directly and quickly. Whilst the trust was very humbling, it put a tremendous burden on the whole family. We had to ensure complete transparency and accountability to all those that had put their trust in us.

We explored many options including giving all funds to other charities. Normally we would have done this. But with such large donations by our standards, we did not want them swallowed up in some general disaster fund with no tracking or accountability.

We decided the best course of action was to setup a new charity. Our friends, colleagues and relatives would be able to hold us to account for every action and every penny we spent on their behalf. We would have nowhere to hide.

Thus PakTrust.org was born.

Has PakTrust.org helped in any other disasters in Pakistan?

Yes. PakTrust.org provided assistance for those affected by a smaller earthquake in Balochistan. In association with a local delivery partnership with Minhaj Welware Association, PakTrust.org fully funded a food camp for victims for one month.