By: Kayhant Int’l Staff Writer

Jolted from their night’s sleep on November 12 by the 7.3 degree trembler that claimed some 440 lives in Kermanshah Province on the borders with Iraq, and still in a shaken state from its aftershocks, coupled with the shivers of the cold weather, despite the efforts of relief teams to provide them all necessities, the survivors had a pleasant surprise yesterday morning and started swaying gently with enthusiasm at the sight of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in their midst.
The whole encampment set up by relief workers for the survivors at Sar Pol-Zahab came alive, as the quake-stricken men, women, and children, forgetting their grief at the loss of homes, hearths, family members and friends, thronged around Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei who inspected the tents and personally enquired about their needs.
He consoled them like a loving father and gave immediate instructions for urgent measures to dispense with bureaucratic procedures by arranging all amenities required by the afflicted, including rebuilding of their damaged homes.
The Beloved Leader’s trip to the quake-stricken areas, preceded by the visits of President Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Hassan Rouhani and Parliamentary Speaker Dr. Ali Larijani earlier in the week, is proof of the extreme care and concern of the country’s top officials for the citizens.
It shows the amicable bond between the people and the government and blunts the mischievous propaganda of the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran to spread rumours.
Ayatollah Khamenei focusing on the hardship and difficulties that the quake survivors have to deal with, saying: "Those not afflicted by the quake, might not understand what hardships the quake-stricken people have to go through. All of a sudden, life of peace, comfort, and amicable family atmosphere, was upturned with the loss of loved ones and destruction of properties, making the survivors to squeeze into a tent during the cold season.”
After close inspection that also took him to Quic village he praised the relief efforts provided by the government, saying: "If efforts to save the victims had not been carried out rapidly in the very first hours of the tragedy, the number of fatalities would have increased manifold.”
The whole country has mobilized itself in sympathy with the quake victims. Assistance in cash and kind have been pouring in from all strata of society. These efforts are commendable in the absence of any worthwhile aid from related international bodies, which are controlled by powers averse to the independence and progress of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This is indeed a blessing of God Almighty, and yet another demonstration of national solidarity of the Iranian people, whose determination to rush to the aid of compatriots in times of need, whether in case of natural disasters or sabotage by the cowardly enemies, has become a byword.
These points were emphasized by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution during his address to the people he met. He praised the bravery and steadfastness of the people of Kermanshah Province. He recalled their sacrifices in the past in defence of Iran’s territorial integrity, especially in the 1980s when the US had imposed the 8-year war through its agent, Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime, whose bombs and barrage of missile, coupled with poisonous propaganda to detach them from the national mainstream, miserably failed.
Ayatollah Khamenei rightly, remarked: "This is not the first time that the brave people of this region have gone through hardship and suffering. I was also among you (as President) during the imposed war. You showed your courage and endurance during those crucial days. You are showing same courage today.”
There are points to ponder for any ill-wisher of the Iranian nation. Without the least doubt, the whole of Iran, as its wont during hours of crisis, has displayed national unity by showing to the world that we are all Kermanshahis, and on account will show the least laxity towards any part of the country.