Karnah, Oct. 9 -- Peerzada Sayeed

It has been twenty years since the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, yet the tragic memories of that fateful morning continue to haunt the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

It was a peaceful morning during the holy month of Ramadan, a Saturday like any other. Life was moving normally when, at 9:20 a.m., the ground suddenly began to shake. Within seconds, calm turned into chaos as buildings, mosques, schools, and homes crumbled into rubble.

The earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, was one of the most powerful in the world's history and left both sides of the divided state of Jammu and Kashmir devastated.

Among the worst-hit areas was Karnah, a remote and mountainous region in north Kashm...