Calamitous earthquake on October 8th, 2005, whose intensity on rector scale was 7.6, spread destruction in many south Asian Countries which consist especially on extensive areas of northern Pakistan as well as that of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 8th October earthquake disaster is, of course, a horrible chapter of Pakistan and most probably of world history who wrote different pain stories in lives of people living in these affected areas. As a whole, five districts of Pakistan and that of Azad Jammu and Kashmir were partially or completely damaged.

In short, all affected areas were showing the view of doomsday before time. All these circumstances, where on one side, were trial for affectees of these areas, but on other side, these were a great challenge for hundreds of thousand and thousands of thousand people from Pakistan and from all over the world who had feelings of painful passions in their hearts.

So where on one side many national and international social and welfare organizations inclined to these affected areas, but on other side nations, with their open hearts, from other Muslim and non Muslim countries at the same time with Pakistani helpful nation made lumps of donations and aids according to their ability which has no resemblance in the history of Pakistan.

The most honorable chairman of “Dewan Mushtaq Group of Industries", Mr. Zia ur Rehman Farooqui, is also being counted in the list of such humanitarians whose great story has been written in the history of Pakistan due to his timely help to poor affectees for the sake of his beloved motherland during that time of great concern. Here this fact is worth-mentioning that also besides that of 8 October disaster, social and welfare services of this group are no more worth-introductory. Perhaps, in the past, the interest of Dewan Mushtaq Group (DMG) in deeds to help humanity made this group agreeable to the sight of Allah to manage “Dewan Group Tent Villages & Free Medical Camps” and it was the passion of “Dewan Mushtaq Group” to attend the humanity that only after four days of disaster, on 12 October, 2005, Dewan volunteers, who are engineers by profession associated with this group, encamped in the form of different caravans as per instructions by respectable chairman of this group at the areas of Muzaffarabad, Ghari Habeebullah and Bala Koat with having dignified living stuff and not only they provided shelters to affectees but also they managed their breaking of fasts, free medical treatment, free ambulance services, emergency aids like tents, blankets, quilts, matrices, bed steads, and besides cooked food they also managed dry food stuff for affectees.

Of course to handle all this situation can be written easily but getting all this done practically, without spirit for gaining Allah’s favor in the pathetic moments of 8 October disaster in emergency and turmoil situation was very difficult. The set up of “Dewan Group Tent Villages & Free Medical Camps” at Ghari Habeebullah and Bala Koat was wound up from one to one and half month but owing to the necessities of affectees, these relief camps in Muzaffarabad remained held for more than four months and this set up was given officially the name as “Dewan Group Tent Villages & Free Medical Camps” and “Dewan Group Shelter Programme” in the schedule documents at UN Compound where all national and international NGOs coordinated each other collectively to give relief to poor affectees in a better way.

In Muzaffarabad Dewan Volunteers managed four Tent Villages and Free Medical Camps with the kind cooperation of Dewan Mushtaq Group and their details are as under: - -

Tent Village & Med. Camp# Situated at No. of Families No. of Individuals OPD / day Ambulance
1 Nirol Stadium 520 4240 600 01
2 Central plate 108 864 250 01
3 Nalochi 182 1456 300 01
4 Chattar Class 450 3600 550 01
Total   1260 10,160 1700 04

Hence as a whole, by the grace of Allah, 1260 families were spent on for surety for more than four months and for the same period, on average, free medical treatment and ambulance services were provided to 1700 patients per day and “Dewan Mushtaq Group” spent, at about, three hundred thousand rupees per day to run this huge set up and, of course, it was a great sacrifice and this point is worth-mentioning that by the kind favor of Allah, “Dewan Mushtaq Group” made all these expenses from its own extensive resources and in the last, on February 28, 2006 after getting emergency circumstances put off, “Dewan Mushtaq Group” wound up its programme and administration of its relief set up was handed over to CMO (Camp Management Organization), an organization set up by Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and hence this set up was finalized.

During January 2006, when set up of “Dewan Tent Villages and free Medical Camps” was in final stages, some adjacent colleagues of the Chairman, “Dewan Mushtaq Group”, after actually getting impressed by the passion and work of humanity service of the Chairman, Mr. Dewan Zia ur Rehman Farooqui, were planning in Muzaffarabad under Friends Association to provide 2000 shelter homes to the homeless earthquake affectees including residents and non-residents of “Dewan Group tent Villages” and Mr. Azhar Iqbal as representative of “Friends Association” was working out with Dewan Volunteers for making feasibility report in this regard.

On 20 January 2006, in view of getting impressed especially by the work of Dewan Zia ur Rehman Farooqui and by the direct encouragement by some other humanitarians and by one Turkish friend belonging to “Turkish Red Crescent Society”, the same volunteers, who are engineers by profession, laid the foundation of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF) as a welfare organization and they aimed their lives forever to serve humanity and following this, they relieved, in a better and proper way, from industrial set up of “Dewan Mushtaq Group” because remoteness of employment was an obstacle to carry on welfare projects.

It is necessary to clear that “Dewan” literally means a Governmental Official deputed to carry on government’s welfare works and moreover “Dewan” is also a Kashmiri cost. That is why we have selected the word “Dewan” owing to its suitably best meaning in the name of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF). Its message must, kindly, be regarded as such. And luckily volunteers of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF) has also been working under kind cooperation of “Dewan Mushtaq Group”. Dewan Volunteers has also laid the foundation of a business firm naming Dveez Enterprises to do different types of businesses by self investment to generate income to afford self expenditures and expenditures of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF).

It is a fact that no body can serve humanity unless and until special will of Allah does not decide a man to put in use and it is also a fact that man is only being put in use and getting of a business done is, after all, the will of Allah the almighty.

Now it was a great challenge in front of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF) without the kind cooperation of “Dewan Mushtaq Group (DMG)” to carry on its welfare projects but still it is the same fact that a man cannot do anything but he is put in use, by the special will of Allah, for any thing which is to be done as agreeable to the sight of Allah.

Now you can say it as lucky chance or say, perhaps, God wanted to put DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF) in use. So “Friends Association” of above mentioned adjacent colleagues of Mr. Zia ur Rehman Farooqui completed all of its shelter programme through Mr. Azhar Iqbal with the collaboration of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF). It is the same Azhar Iqbal who now keeps in connection continuously with the humanitarians to request them raise funds for the ongoing welfare projects of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION (DVF). Though we have economic hardships but we are keeping up energetically. So we request humanitarians to increase our strength by helping out DVF so that its all mentioned social & welfare programmes may be completed. Hence it is all about brief brief historical background of DEWAN VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION.