Abdul Sattar Edhi
Abdul Sattar Edhi NI LPP (Urdu: ;دبع ااتسلر ادییھ28
Abdul Sattar Edhi
February 1928[6] – 8 July 2016)[1][7][2] was a Pakistani
NI LPP AMPP
humanitarian, philanthropist and ascetic who founded
the Edhi Foundation, which runs the world's largest عبد ااستار ایدھی
ambulance network,[8] along with homeless shelters,
animal shelters,[9] rehabilitation centres, and
orphanages across Pakistan.[10]
Edhi's charitable activities expanded greatly in 1957
when an Asian flu epidemic originating in China swept
through Pakistan and the rest of the world. Donations
allowed him to buy his first ambulance the same year.
He later expanded his charity network with the help of
his wife Bilquis Edhi.[10][11] Following his death, his son
Faisal Edhi took over as head of the Edhi Foundation.
Over his lifetime, the Edhi Foundation expanded,
backed entirely by private donations from Pakistani
citizens across class, which included establishing a
network of 1,800 ambulances. By the time of his death,
Edhi was registered as a parent or guardian of nearly
20,000 adopted children.[7] He is known amongst
Pakistanis as the "Angel of Mercy" and is considered to Edhi, c. 2009
be Pakistan's most respected and legendary figure.[3][12] Born 28 February 1928[1][2]
In 2013, The Huffington Post claimed that he might be Bantva, Bantva Manavadar,
"the world's greatest living humanitarian".[13] British India
Edhi maintained a hands-off management style and was Died 8 July 2016 (aged 88)
often critical of the corruption commonly found within Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
the religious organizations, clergy and politicians.[14] He Resting Edhi Village, Karachi
was a strong proponent of religious tolerance in place 25.05°N 67.49°E
Pakistan and extended his support to the victims of Other names Angel of Mercy[3]
Hurricane Katrina and the 1985 famine in The Richest Poor Man[4]
Ethiopia.[15][16] He was nominated several times for the Organization Edhi Foundation
Nobel Peace Prize. Edhi received several domestic as
Spouse Bilquis Edhi (m. 1965)
well as international awards such as Ramon Magsaysay
Award[17] and the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize.[18] Children 4
Awards Lenin Peace Prize (1988)
He died in July 2016 and was buried with full state
Bacha Khan Peace Award
honours.
(1990)
Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1989)
Early life Wolf of Bhogio Peace Award
(2005)[5]
Edhi was a Gujarati Muhajir born into a Memon Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize
Muslim family in Bantva, Gujarat, India. He publicly (2010)
expressed that he was not a "very religious person", and
Website edhi.org (http://edhi.org)
that he was "neither for religion or against it".[19] On his
faith, he stated that he was a "humanitarian", telling
others that "empty words and long phrases do not impress God" and to "show Him your faith"
through action.[20][21][22][23] His mother had brought him up teaching love and care for humans.
Edhi Foundation and Bilquis Edhi Trust
Edhi dedicated his life to aiding the poor. Over the course of sixty years, he single-handedly changed
the face of welfare in Pakistan.[24] He founded the Edhi Foundation.[6] Edhi was known for his ascetic
lifestyle, owning only two pairs of clothes, never taking salary from his organization, and living in one
room with kitchenette at the Foundation's headquarters in the heart of Karachi.[12][25][26][27]
Additionally, his previously established welfare trust, named the Edhi Trust, was restarted with an
initial sum of Rs.5000. The trust was later renamed after his wife as the Bilquis Edhi Trust.[28] Widely
regarded and respected as a guardian and savior for the poor, Edhi began receiving numerous
donations which allowed him to expand his services. As of 2016, the Edhi Foundation continues to
grow in both size and service and currently remains the largest welfare organization in Pakistan. Since
its inception, the Edhi Foundation has rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants, rehabilitated over
50,000 orphans, and has trained over 40,000 nurses.[29] It also runs more than 330 welfare centres
throughout rural and urban Pakistan that operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for
abandoned women and children, and clinics for the mentally and physically challenged.[30]
The Edhi Foundation is funded entirely by private donations and full services are offered to people
irrespective of ethnicity, religion or status.[31] It runs the world's largest volunteer ambulance service
(operating over 1,500 of them) and offers 24-hour emergency services. It also operates free nursing
homes, orphanages, clinics, women's shelters, and rehabilitation centres for drug addicts and the
mentally ill.[32] Outside of its main base of operations in Pakistan, the Edhi Foundation has run relief
operations in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caucasus region, Eastern Europe, and the
United States. In 2005, the foundation donated US$100,000 to relief efforts after Hurricane
Katrina.[33] As of 2020, the Foundation has international head offices present in the United States,
United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Japan.[34]
In 2004, Edhi and his organization ran into trouble with Pakistani militants.[35] In 2014, the
foundation was targeted and robbed of approximately US$500,000 and has been the victim of right-
wing attacks and competition from Pakistan's militant far-right[36]
Travel issues
In the early 1980s, Edhi was arrested by Israeli troops while he was entering Lebanon. In 2006, he
was detained by authorities in Toronto, Canada, for over sixteen hours. In January 2008, U.S.
immigration officials at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City investigated him
for over eight hours after seizing his passport and other documents. When asked by media officials
about the frequent detentions, Edhi said: "The only explanation I can think of is my beard and my
dress." His appearance in traditional Pakistani clothing and a long beard made him appear visibly
Muslim and therefore, in a post-9/11 climate, prompted U.S. and Canadian travel authorities to keep
him for additional questioning.[37]
Life in Karachi
In 1965, Edhi married Bilquis Bado, a nurse who worked at an Edhi Trust dispensary.[38] They had
four children, two daughters, and two sons.[3]
Bilquis became responsible for running the free maternity home at the foundation's headquarters in
Mithandar, Karachi, where she raised her children on the top floor, and on the lower floors, ran the
local delivery room, and organised the adoption of abandoned babies. These were babies who were
dropped into a cradle placed outside every Edhi centre across the country or found dumped in trash
piles in the streets. Often such babies were otherwise at risk of being killed because of being born out
of wedlock or due to rape.[39]
On 25 June 2013, Edhi was hospitalised at SIUT due to failing
kidneys. He would reportedly be on dialysis for the rest of his life
unless he found a kidney donor.[40]
The daily operations of the organisation during his ill health and after
his passing were managed by his son Faisal Edhi (under the
mentorship of Anwar Kazmi, 'the Maulana's Lieutenant', as his friend
Eqbal Ahmad called him), wife Bilquis Edhi (1947-2022), and
daughter Kubra (who runs the Edhi centre for women and children at Edhi with son Faisal in 2016
Clifton).[29][41]
Death
Organ donation
Edhi died on 8 July 2016 at the age of 88 due to kidney failure after having been placed on a
ventilator. One of his last wishes was that his organs be donated for the use of the needy but due to his
poor health, only his corneas were suitable for donation.[42] In accordance with his wishes, his
corneas were donated to two blind people.[43]
State funeral
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared national mourning on the day following Edhi's death and
announced a state funeral for him. He became the third person in Pakistan's history to receive a state
gun carriage funeral after Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Zia-ul-Haq. He was the only Pakistani without a
state authority or a state role to receive a state funeral. According to the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR), state honors were given to Edhi by a guard of honor and a 19-gun salute. Following
the funeral he was laid to rest at Edhi Village on the outskirts of Karachi.[44]
Condolences
The attendees at his Janazah (Islamic funeral prayer) included dignitaries such as Mamnoon Hussain
(President of Pakistan), Raza Rabbani (Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan), Ishratul Ibad (Governor
of Sindh), Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Shehbaz Sharif (the Chief Ministers of Sindh and Punjab,
respectively), Raheel Sharif (Chief of Army Staff) along with Muhammad Zakaullah and Sohail Aman
(the Chiefs of Staff of the Pakistani Navy and Air Force), at the National Stadium, Karachi.[45][46]
Prominent Pakistani figures such as Maulana Tariq Jamil[47] and Pakistani−Canadian Sheikh Faraz
Rabbani[48] often expressed their strong support for Edhi and his work.
Reactions to his death came from several high-ranking Pakistani officials, with then-Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif saying in an official statement: "We have lost a great servant of humanity. He was the
real manifestation of love for those who were socially vulnerable, impoverished, helpless, and
poor."[12] Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif called him a "true humanitarian".[3] He was called
Pakistan's equivalent of Mother Teresa by India Today in 1990, and the BBC wrote that he was
considered "Pakistan's most respected figure and was seen by some as a saint."[12]
Awards
International awards
Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (1986)[49][50]
Lenin Peace Prize (1988)[51]
Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International (1993)[51]
Peace Prize from the former USSR, for services during the Armenian earthquake disaster
(1988)[52]
Hamdan Award for volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services (2000), UAE[51]
International Balzan Prize (2000) for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood, Italy[51]
Peace and Harmony Award (2001), Delhi
Peace Award (2004), Mumbai
Peace Award (2005), Hyderabad, India
Seoul Peace Prize (2008), Seoul[53]
Honorary doctorate from the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi (2006).
UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize (2009)[54][55]
POSCO TJ Park Prize (2009)
Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize (2010)[56][57]
Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bedfordshire (2010)[58]
London Peace Award (2011), London[59]
National awards
Silver Jubilee Shield by College of Physicians and Surgeons (1962–1987)[51]
Moiz ur Rehman Award (2015)[51]
The Social Worker of Sub-Continent by Government of Sindh (1989)[51]
Nishan-e-Imtiaz, civil decoration from the Government of Pakistan (1989)[51]
Recognition of meritorious services to oppressed humanity during the 1980s by Ministry of Health
and Social Welfare, Government of Pakistan (1989)[51]
Pakistan Civic Award from the Pakistan Civic Society (1992)[51]
Jinnah Award for Outstanding Services to Pakistan was conferred in April 1998 by The Jinnah
Society. This was the first Jinnah Award conferred on any person in Pakistan.[60]
Shield of Honor by Pakistan Army (E & C)[51]
Khidmat Award by the Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences[51]
Bacha Khan Aman (Peace) Award in 1991
Human Rights Award by Pakistan Human Rights Society[51]
2013 Person of the Year by the readers of The Express Tribune[61]
Honours
On 8 July 2021, a statue of Edhi was installed at Hockey Chowk, Quetta.[62]
On 31 March 2017, a cupronickel commemorative coin was issued upon the recommendation of the
State Bank of Pakistan to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who decided to commemorate Edhi's services
on the national level.[63] Edhi became the only social worker and the fifth Pakistani personality to
have been honoured with a commemorative coin.[64]
On 28 February 2017, Google celebrated Edhi with a Google Doodle hailing his "super-efficient"
ambulance service.[65]
In July 2016, the Defence Housing Authority renamed the 5 kilometre-long Beach Avenue in Clifton
Beach, Karachi as 'Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue'.[66][67]
On 8 July 2016 Pakistan Post issued a commemorative postage stamp in memory of Edhi.[68]
Nobel Peace Prize petitions
In 2011, then-Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani recommended Edhi for a nomination for
the Nobel Peace Prize.[69]
In early 2016, a petition signed by 30,000 for a Nobel Peace
Prize for Edhi was moved by Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of
Malala Yousafzai.[70] In her condolence message on Edhi's
death, broadcast by BBC Urdu, Malala said that "as a Nobel
Peace Prize winner, I hold the right to nominate people for the
prize and I have nominated Abdul Sattar Edhi" adding that
"even the coveted Nobel Prize cannot be a befitting tribute to
Edhi's services for humanity".[71][72][73]
Literature
Primary
Abdul Sattar Edhi (1995), Breaking the Silence. Islamabad: National Bureau of Publications.
Tehmina Durrani (1996) Abdul Sattar Edhi, An Autobiography: A Mirror to the Blind. Karachi: A.
Sattar Edhi Foundation.
Biography
Lorenza Raponi; Michele Zanzucchi (2013), Half of Two Paisas: The Extraordinary Mission of Abdul
Sattar Edhi and Bilquis Edhi, Translated from Italian by Lorraine Buckley, Oxford University Press,
Pakistan.
Popular
Steve Inskeep (October 2011), Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi. New York: Penguin Books.
Richard Covington; Shahidul Alam (2008), "What One Person Can Do: The Amazing Life of Abdul
Sattar Edhi". In: What Matters: The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict
Essential Issues of Our Time edited by David Elliot Cohen.
Richard Covington; Shahidul Alam (2004) Humanitarian to a Nation: Abdul Sattar Edhi (https://ww
w.aramcoworld.com/Articles/November-2004/Humanitarian-to-a-Nation) AramcoWorld.
Children
Amina Azfar (2014), Abdul Sattar Edhi. Graphic Stories series (in Urdu and English). Karachi: Oxford
University Press.
Film
Omar Mullick; Bassam Tariq (2013),These Birds Walk.
Amélie Saillez (2011), The Kingdom of Mister Edhi (Lastor Media).[74]
Peter Oborne (2011), Pakistan: Defenders of Karachi (Channel 4, April 2011, directed by Edward
