Edhi leaves behind his wife Bilquis and six children including son Faisal, who said his father’s funeral will be held near Karachi on Saturday.
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Sharif’s government had offered to fly Edhi overseas for treatment, but he refused, insisting on being treated at a public hospital in his own country.
Malala added that she could never meet the great philanthropist but feels proud and honoured that she had the opportunity to talk to Edhi on phone a number of times. “We have lost a great servant of humanity”.
In a tweet, Swaraj said that Edhi was a noble soul who dedicated his life in service of mankind.
“This loss is irreparable for the people of Pakistan”, the prime minister said in a statement.
Pakistan army chief Raheel Sharif and prominent politicians attended final prayers at the stadium in the first state funeral since the death of military dictator General Zia ul-Haq in 1988.
More than 3,000 security and traffic police officers were deployed as the coffin was taken for burial to Edhi Village near Karachi’s main National Highway, which Edhi himself had selected as a place for his grave 25 years ago.
The Air Chief also said that Edhi was indeed a pioneer in the field of social service and the models of excellence set by him were replicated world over.
Pakistan’s cricket team, which is on tour in England, wore black armbands during their match against the Somerset county team to mourn Edhi’s death. He was suffering from severe kidney problems from the few years. That was the start of his charity work.
It was the state’s failure to aid his ailing mother that spurned Edhi to move into philanthropy for the remainder of his life.
She was then adopted by Edhi Foundation. He also personally drove one of the network’s ambulances across Karachi to help anyone in need.
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Edhi lived in a bare room in Karachi, alternating between his two suits of black clothes and occasionally listening to recordings of Koranic verses on a battered old tape recorder. His work earned him numerous awards at home and overseas, including the Gandhi Peace Award, the 2007 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize and the 2008 Seoul Peace Award.
