Daily Times

KARACHI: Soyem and Quran Khwani for late Abdul Sattar Edhi was held at Memon Masjid in metropolis on Sunday where thousands gathered to pray for the departed soul who was one of the Pakistan’s respected and loved personalities.

Tight security arrangements were made for the soyem, with deployment of heavy contingents of Rangers and police around the mosque, and installation of walkthrough gates. Separate arrangements were made for the ladies. Renowned social worker and founder of Edhi Foundation, Abdul Sattar Edhi, died on Friday and was laid to rest at Edhi Village in Karachi after state funeral. He died at the age of 88.

His funeral prayer was attended by thousands of people at the National Stadium Karachi.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali shah, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman , Naval Chief Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, political leaders, workers of different political parties, important personalities and people belonging to all walks of life attended his funeral. Abdul Sattar Edhi was born on January 1, 1928 in Bantva in the Gujarat, India. He was a prominent Pakistani philanthropist, social activist, and humanitarian. He was the founder and head of the Edhi Foundation and ran the organisation for six decades. He was considered as Pakistan’s “most respected” and legendary figure.

When he was 11-years old, his mother became paralysed from a stroke and she died when Edhi was 19-years old. His personal experiences and care for his mother during her illness caused him to develop a system of services for old, mentally-ill and challenged people.

The partition of subcontinent led Edhi and his family to migrate to Pakistan in 1947. He then shifted to Karachi to work in a market at a wholesale shop. He initially started as a peddler, and later became a commission agent selling cloth in the wholesale market in Karachi. After few years, he established a free dispensary with the help from his community. Edhi resolved to dedicate his life to aiding the poor, and over the next 60 years, he single handedly changed the face of welfare in Pakistan.

The Edhi Foundation continues to grow in both size and service to this day, and is currently the largest welfare organisation in Pakistan. Since its inception, Edhi Foundation rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants, rehabilitated over 50,000 orphans and has trained over 40,000 nurses. The organisation also runs more than 330 welfare centres in rural and urban Pakistan which operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for abandoned women and children and clinics for the mentally handicapped.

The Edhi Foundation, founded by Edhi, runs the world’s largest ambulance service and offers 24 hour emergency services. It also operates free nursing homes, orphanages, clinics, women’s shelters, and rehabilitation centres for drug addicts and mentally-ill individuals.

It has run relief operations in Africa, Middle East, the Caucasus region, Eastern Europe and United States where it provided aid following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. His son Faisal Edhi, wife Bilquis Edhi and daughters managed the daily operations of the organisation during his ill health.

Together with his wife, Bilquis Edhi, he received the 1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service. He was also the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize and the Balzan Prize. In 2006, Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Pakistan conferred a honoris causa degree of Doctor of Social Service Management for his services. In September 2010, Edhi was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bedfordshire.

In 1989, Edhi received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz from the government of Pakistan. He had been recommended for a Nobel Peace prize.

Meanwhile, special prayers ceremony was held at Gymkhana Shikarpur on Sunday, where a large number of civil society members paid glowing tribute to late legendary social leader and humanitarian, Abdul Sattar Edhi, who died on last Friday night. Journalists, citizens and representatives of civil society including Naveed Alam Abro, Sultan Rind, Waheed Phulpoto, Waheed Brohi, AK Soomro, and others paid glowing tribute to Edhi and lit candles to pay him homage.