Laurie wiseberg

 In late 2023, for the second time, I succumbed to severe depression, exhausted by the circumstances, and remained confined to a room for over a year. In late 2025, perhaps October or November, with the help and encouragement of some good friends, I started reflecting on my life after returning to normalcy. The results were disheartening. In the jungle of human life, I tried to count the good people I met, and they were just a few. May Allah keep them all safe.

Among those few people, I remembered Dr. Laurie S. Wiserg, my ideal, an advocate for basic human rights, who spent her life working for the welfare of humanity affected by natural disasters and war. Laurie was appointed as Head of Protection Cluster in Muzaffarabad in 2006. At that time, over 128,000 registered and countless unregistered IDPs were living in miserable conditions in Muzaffarabad and Bagh camps. The government and other agencies were present to further devastate these victims.

Fortunately, Pervez Musharraf was the President of Pakistan, Cynthia Veliko was the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, and Laurie Wiwseberg, followed by Ustina Kuprechik, were present in Muzaffarabad. If they weren't there, our political leadership and bureaucracy would have pushed us back to the Stone Age.

After returning to life post-depression, I checked Laurie's Facebook wall, which was silent, and her inbox had no emails after 2023. Further checks revealed that Laurie Wiserg had passed away on October 11, 2023. This news was shocking for me, as I never imagined a smiling face could become silent. Anyway, it's Allah's will; every human has to play their part on this stage and disappear behind the curtain.

I pay tribute to Laurie Wiseberg's services to humanity and basic human rights. During her 6-month stay in Muzaffarabad, Laurie left an indelible mark of service to humanity, and today, she is still alive in the hearts of hundreds of IDPs from that time. Her admirers from Leepa to Neelum Valley are still there.

I remember how many innocent, simple, and elderly women from Jhelum and Neelum Valley would invite Laurie to stay with them forever, and she would smile and remain silent. I know that Laurie's passing is a shock to the humanitarian community, and her void may never be filled. It's a great tragedy for her family, especially her son and grandchildren, whom she loved dearly.

We, the 2025 earthquake victims of Muzaffarabad, share the grief of Laurie Wiseberg's family. Goodbye, not only Laurie of Montreal, but Laurie of the World.