KARACHI: It has been a year since Pakistan’s renowned and respected humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away on July 8, 2016, at the age of 88, bringing the nation to tears over the loss of one of its most precious assets.
Edhi suffered primarily from kidney problems, among other diseases including diabetes. His funeral was attended by hundreds of people in Karachi’s National Stadium.
Following the celebrated philanthropist’s death, the state and Sindh government had announced one- and three-day mourning periods, respectively. The federal government also posthumously awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz to Edhi.
During this period, Pakistan’s flag was flown at half-mast.
Edhi is survived by four children and his wife Bilquis Edhi, who ran the Edhi foundation with him.Born on February 28, 1928, in Bantva city of India’s Gujrat state, Edhi’s humble beginning was when he started to take care of his ailing, diabetic mother at the age of 11, helping him learn to prioritise others over his own self.
Post independence, his family migrated to and settled in Karachi. In 1951, the philanthropist purchased a small shop with his meagre savings to open a dispensary with the help of a doctor friend. From thereon began his simple life as he often slept on the bench in front of the shop to help anyone in need of urgent medical care.
1957 brought a flu epidemic to Karachi, in response to which Edhi set up emergency tents for medical attention throughout the city. Donations from the public started pouring in and Edhi, through those funds, bought the entire building wherein the dispensary was situated.
He subsequently set up a maternity ward inside the newly-purchased building, alongside a training school for the nurses. This was the start of Edhi Foundation.
In an interview with Geo News, Edhi said he only owned two pairs of clothes that he washed by himself – a tradition he had continued for many years. He used to live in a small one-room flat located above the office of his charitable organisation.
“He never established a home for his own children,†his wife told news agency AFP in an earlier interview.
The founder and chairman of the Edhi Foundation was diagnosed with kidney failure three years before his death but was unable to receive a transplant due to his worsening health. He was brought to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) for a regular dialysis just before his death but was shifted to intensive care and put on a ventilator due to severe breathing problems.
Edhi also suffered from multiple diseases and complications, including diabetes, hypertension, and kidney failure. Faisal Edhi – his son – told reporters that he had also become very weak, physically, because he was unable to eat for some time.
As the last act of selflessness, his son said Edhi wished for all his usable body organs to be donated after death. “He had prepared for himself a grave in Edhi village about twenty-five years ago,” he said. “Also, he wanted to be buried in the same clothes in which he died. Hence, we will honour his wish and bury him in the clothes that he passed away,” he added.
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