Daily Times

The third death anniversary of renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi was observed on Monday.

Edhi, who built a network of humanitarian centers across the country to provide life-saving services to the people, died on July 8, 2016, at the age of 89. He was born to a family of Muslim traders in Gujarat in British India and migrated to Pakistan after its creation in 1947. He began his humanitarian work soon after migration.

The state’s failure to help his struggling family care for his mother, paralysed and suffering from mental health issues, was his painful and decisive turning point which spurred him onto philanthropy. In the sticky streets in the heart of Karachi, Edhi, full of idealism and hope, opened his first clinic in 1951.

Motivated by a spiritual quest for justice, over the years Edhi and his team have created maternity wards, morgues, orphanages, shelters, and homes for the elderly aimed at helping those in society who cannot help themselves. He was also mentioned in the Guinness Book of world records for the largest fleet of ambulances, offering help to poor communities failed by inadequate public health and welfare services.