9/1/2021 Abdul Sattar Edhi: A king without a crown - Herald

W here did Abdul Sattar Edhi come from? We know his biographical details; I
learnt them in primary school textbooks. He was born in Bantva, now in the
Indian state of Gujarat, and immigrated to Pakistan in 1947. From age 11, he cared for
his mother after she was paralysed. When he was just 20, he started what would
become the biggest social services network in our country.

But what made Edhi a great philanthropist? Where did he get his drive, even as a boy,
to care for the poor and the sick?

His idea of cradle-to-grave care was like no other in the world. In maternity wards at
Edhi Foundation centres, more than a million babies have been delivered for free. And
every day unnamed corpses of poor men, women and children are washed and buried
with dignity by his workers. For the living, he provided a network of ambulances and
emergency care to save as many lives as possible.

Where did he get the brilliant inspiration to place a cradle outside Edhi Foundation
offices for parents to leave children they could not afford or did not want? The
cradle, this symbol of the value of human life that Edhi understood so well, should
shake and humble us all. More than 19,000 unwanted babies are living with new
families today because of Edhi.

How did he find a perfect partner in Bilquis Edhi who worked alongside him to help
the poorest people? Even after his death, Bilquis and their son continue to work
tirelessly to carry on Edhi’s mission. She once said, “Everyone said I was crazy to
marry him. Friends joked that while they’d go on picnics, he’d take me to graveyards.”
But Bilquis, like her husband, dedicated herself to serving humanity with all her
strength.

How did he convince his fellow Pakistanis to give support to their brothers and
sisters? When he started his work, he was penniless. He sat on the street and asked
for donations — not for himself but to help people in greater need. “I begged. And
people gave,” he said. From the very beginning, people passing Edhi on the street
trusted him to do good with their money.

He did not take money from the government, saying instead that he wished to
domesticate the habit of giving in the Pakistani people. He succeeded; the Edhi
Foundation says that often the people who have the least, give the most.

https://herald.dawn.com/news/print/1154045 2/3
9/1/2021 Abdul Sattar Edhi: A king without a crown - Herald

How did he resist the lure of fame, politics and recognition for his work? Edhi could
have become a politician or a wealthy man but he did not serve the poor for his
personal gain. He owned only two pairs of clothes, never took a salary from his
organisation and lived in a small apartment next to his main office.

How did he see so much human misery every day of his life and still live with so much
joy? He once said, “I feel happy that God made me different from the others. I helped
the most oppressed.”

What made Edhi a great servant of humanity? Where did Edhi come from? These are
questions I can’t answer. But I stand as one of the many influenced by Edhi’s life and
service.

Muhammed Ali Jinnah gave us Pakistan. Abdul Sattar Edhi gave our country its soul.

This article was originally published in the Herald's August 2017 issue. To read more
subscribe to the Herald in print.

https://herald.dawn.com/news/print/1154045 3/3