Our National Heroes

Introduction:

We know Abdul Sattar Edhi to be a great humanitarian in Pakistan. He worked for the Muslims and Non-Muslims of Pakistan. Abdul Sattar Edhi became famous in Pakistan because of his philanthropist and services given to the People of Pakistan. He provides Edhi services all over Pakistan. First, he himself provides services to the citizen of Karachi, later he became famous gradually. The people of Pakistan and over seized Pakistani provide aids, and it became the vast network with over 10,000 minivans. Now, Edhi became as the world’s famous philanthropist and hero of Pakistan.

Date of Birth	28th February 1928
Place of birth	Bantava, Gujarat, India
Death & place	8th July 2016
Cause of Death	Kidney failure
Profession	Edhi trust, philanthropist
Interest	Facilitate human, gives smile and spread a smile
Awards	“Nishan e Imtiaz, Shield of Honor, Khidmat Award, Aman (Peace) award, Human rights award, Person of the Year, Social Worker of Sub-Continent, Moiz ur Rehman Award, Silver Jubilee Shield”
Country	Pakistan

The Former Life of A Great Humanitarian:

Abdul Sattar Edhi was born on 28^th July 1928, Bantava. It is in Gujarat, India. Britishers rule over India called “British India”. He was from a “Memon Family”. His mother gives him “1 paisa” for his meals and the others to help and needy children. Abdul Sattar’s mother paralyzed when he was about at 11 years old. His mother died from a stroke in 1947. He cares to take of his mother, because of the caring and love, he had the experience as a dedicated caretaker service for the old mental, physical ill, and challenge. After the partition of India, he moved to Pakistan in Karachi. He sold clothes a few years and built a free dispensary for the community ^[1].

He told “NPR” in 2009, “I saw people lying on the pavement. The flu had spread in Karachi, and there was no one to treat them. So, I set up benches and got medical students to volunteer. I was penniless and begged for donations on the street. And people gave. I bought this 8-by-8 room to start my work. ^{[1, 2]}”

He joined the “Memon charity” as a volunteer for 20 years. He feared the Memon can kill the human. So, he left the country and went to Europe, he went to London to ask for the donation. He interrogated the social welfares of London and watched the active programs^[1].

“People have become educated, but have yet to become human.”

— Abdul Sattar Edhi

Disagreement in Date of Birth:

According to Edhi, his actual date of birth is 28^th February 1928, but the media published his date of birth was 1^st January 1928. There has been a dispute on the date of birth, some said that the date of birth is 1^st and some say that it was 28^th February. The “Google Doodle” marked their date of birth as 28^th February 1928, after that the media also revealed their date of birth as 28^th February ^[1].

The interview of his wife “Bilquis Edhi” said to the channel “We never even celebrated his birthday while he was alive. We were unaware of the day he was born”. So, there is confusion about the date of birth, even Edhi was also unaware of his date of birth. But he believed that his date of birth was between 1926-1928^[1].

Bilquis Edhi trust and the Edhi Foundation:

When Abdul Sattar was in London, he spent his life helping the poor. He changed the face of the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan. Later, he founded the Edhi Foundation. In the early stages, he had the trust named “Edhi Trust” which was again refunded from 5000Rs., the trust later named “Bilquis Trust”, which was broadly for the poor and the needy person. Edhi received the amounts from various places from which he expands the services. From that day to today, Edhi becomes the biggest service provider all over Pakistan. Edhi Foundation rescue about 20,000 abandoned babies re-educate those persons that were going to suicide, which was about 50,000 and educate about 40,000 nurses. Edhi has about 300+ rural and urban Edhi centres all over Pakistan ^[1].

Services of Edhi Foundation:

Edhi Ambulance service:

Edhi ambulance service started from the second hand “Hillman pickup truck” and later it refurnished and becomes the first ambulance service for the “poor patient ambulance”. Now, the ambulance number reached about 1800+ across Pakistan and becomes the first world’s largest ambulance service ^[3].

Air Ambulance Service:

Edhi air ambulance service has about 2 aircraft and 1 helicopter that are used for the patients i.e. in natural disasters, these planes and helicopters used for the patients to the nearest hospital ^[3].

Marine Service:

About 28 rescue boats Edhi service has which provide the medicine and first aid to the drowned persons and rescue them. They often used these boats in the Arabian ocean and when a flood came into the country ^[3].

Orphan centers:

Edhi service has about 18 homes that are all over Pakistan, of which 7 are in Karachi. In these homes, there are about 8500 boys, girls, ladies, and gents facilitate. Most of them are orphans and homeless boys and girls, who are mentally and physically disabled. There are a lot of women that are mentally and physically tortured in the villages and cities. The list of homes across Pakistan is over 8500 ^[3].

Education:

Bilquis Edhi in Karachi, primary and secondary schools are operating. In these areas service has been providing: “Old Sabzi Mandi, Noor Shah Colony Mirpur Khas and Masjid Road Nawabshah.”. In these areas, the students are getting a basic education ^[3].

Graveyard Services:

From the services, one of the major services provided by the Edhi Foundation is that of the burned bodies and the unknown persons or which have no anyone in Pakistan. Graveyards have built in all cities of Pakistan such as Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and also in the USA and New York. Edhi Foundation buried about 58000 dead bodies that were unknown coffins and planned for their dead bodies. He became the first person who buried thousands of people in the grave ^[3].  

2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total
12,562	4,819	6,611	6,692	6,492	6,693	7,854	6,738	58,261

Marriage Bureau:

Edhi Foundation also provides the marriage service for those persons that cannot carry marriage expense. Edhi Foundation also marriages the orphan and homeless persons that are living in their homes ^[3].

Edhi Langar:

Edhi Langar is for those persons that are living in the homes built by the Edhi Foundation. They also served these foods for the passengers ^[3].

Personal life:

Abdul Sattar Edhi was born in India in of city Bantava, Gujarat province. Edhi moved to Karachi and made the dispensary by his low-income, which was free for all the people who could not purchase any medicine. His mother paralyzed and mentally suffering from a major stroke, he was about 11 years old. He was inspired by the “Khaksar Tehrik” which was founded by the “Allama Mashriqi”. Lower class semi-military volunteer organization found it in “Khaki”. They work for the villagers that walked from one village to another village to solve people’s problems.

Abdul Sattar Edhi married by the Bilquis, which was the nurse at the “Edhi trust Dispensary”. They had 2 sons and 2 daughters. They had a running free dispensary in Karachi and adopted the orphans including small babies of some months or years. He wished his organs donated to the charity, but because of his poor health and condition, only his corneas could donate later. He buried in “Edhi Village” in Karachi ^[1].   

Illness and Death:

Abdul Sattar Edhi was badly ill because of kidney failure and hospitalized on 25^th June 2013. There can be kidney dialysis, a kidney donated by a person for the rest of his life. But he died on 8^th July 2016. His age was about 88 years, both the kidneys completely failed and led on the bed in a hospital ^[1].

Legacy:

On 4^th July 2016, the defence housing authority declared the beach name “Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue” because of his welfare services in a lifetime ^[1].

Inter-National Reward^[1]:

• “Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (1986)”
• “Lenin Peace Prize (1988)”
• “Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International (1993)”
• “Peace Prize from the former USSR, for services during the Armenian earthquake disaster (1988)”
• “Hamdan Award for volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services (2000), UAE”
• “International Balzan Prize (2000) for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood, Italy”
• “The Peace and Harmony Award (2001), Delhi”
• “Peace Award (2004), Mumbai”
• “Peace Award (2005), Hyderabad Deccan”
• “Gandhi Peace Award (2007), Delhi”
• “Seoul Peace Prize (2008), Seoul”
• “Honorary doctorate from the Institute of Business Administration Karachi (2006)”
• “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize (2009)”
• “Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize (2010)”
• “Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bedfordshire (2010)”
• “London Peace Award (2011), London”

National Reward for A Great Humanitarian ^[1]:

• “Silver Jubilee Shield by College of Physicians and Surgeons (1962–1987)”
• “Moiz ur Rehman Award (2015)”
• “The Social Worker of Sub-Continent by Government of Sindh (1989)”
• “Nishan-e-Imtiaz, civil decoration from the Government of Pakistan (1989)”
• “Recognition of meritorious services to oppressed humanity during the 1980s by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Pakistan (1989)”
• “Pakistan Civic Award from the Pakistan Civic Society (1992)”
• The Jinnah Society conferred “Jinnah Award for Outstanding Services in April 1998. This was the first Jinnah Award conferred on any person in Pakistan”
• “Shield of Honor by Pakistan Army (E & C)”
• “Khidmat Award by the Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences.”
• “Bacha Khan Aman (Peace) Award in 1991”
• “Human Rights Award by the Pakistan Human Rights Society”
• “2013 Person of the Year by the readers of The Express Tribune”

Reference:

1.            Abdul Sattar Edhi. 14th July 2020; wikipedia.

2.            14th July 2020; Available from: britannica.

3.            14th July 2020; Available from: edhi