The founder of Pakistan’s largest welfare organisation, Abdul Sattar Edhi, died Friday at the age of 92, his son confirmed as tributes swiftly poured in for the humble man nearly unanimously revered as a national hero.
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Earlier in June 2016, when Edhi was admitted to hospital for kidney trouble, former President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, also offered to pay for his treatment overseas, but was again refused.
The Edhi Foundation is one of Pakistan’s largest public welfare organisations and runs one of the biggest fleets of ambulances, dozens of clinics and orphanages in the country.
Pakistan’s powerful army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif also expressed his condolences to Edhi’s family, lauding him as a “true humanitarian”.
It was the state’s failure to aid his ailing mother that spurned Edhi to move into philanthropy for the remainder of his life.
Celebrated humanitarian and the founder of Edhi Foundation Abdul Sattar Edhi was laid to rest in Edhi Villiage here amid heart-wrenching echoes of cries and tears on Saturday.
In his will, Abdul Sattar Edhi also said asked for his son to become the top administrator of Edhi Foundation after his death. “Attending his funeral is the least we could do to pay our tributes”, shopkeeper Siraj Ahmed, 34, said outside the stadium where the army fired a 19-gun salute to mark Edhi’s death. “He was a great person and would be remembered for ages”, she said. One particularly moving and valuable service involves placing cradles outside Edhi offices, thus encouraging people to leave “illegitimate” children to be cared for, rather than killed or abandoned.
“Edhi sahab passed away tonight”.
His work earned him numerous awards at home and overseas, including the Gandhi Peace Award, the 2007 Unesco Madanjeet Singh Prize, the 2011 London Peace Award, the 2008 Seoul Peace Award and the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Service.
Others lauded him as “the greatest Pakistani”, calling his death a “national tragedy”.
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He said this while addressing the special prayer ceremony for the eternal peace of the departed soul of Abdul Sattar Edhi held at Governor House, Peshawar on Sunday.
