Edhi Foundation Chairman , Pakistani philanthropist, social activist, ascetic and humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away at the age of 92 in Karachi due to kidney failure. He was the founder and head of the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan and known as Angel of Mercy, Pakistan’s ‘Father Teresa’ and was considered country’s most respected figure.
Edhi’s Journey
- Edhi was born at Bantvain Gujarat to a family of memon traders in 1928 . Mr Edhi arrived in Pakistan in 1947.
- In the sticky streets in the heart of Karachi, Mr Edhi, full of idealism and hope, opened his first clinic in 1951. “Social welfare was my vocation, I had to free it,” he says in his autobiography, ‘A Mirror To The Blind’.
- Revered by many as a national hero, Mr Edhi created a charitable empire out of nothing. He masterminded Pakistan’s largest welfare organisation almost single-handedly, entirely with private donations.
- For his contributions to the humanity, he received numerous accolades including Nishan-e Imtiaz (highest civilian honour), Pakistan Civil Award, International honours include Ramon Magsaysay Award, International Balzan Prize, 2007 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize and 2011 London Peace Award among others.
- Mr .Edhi has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and appeared on the list again this year – put there by Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan’s teenage Nobel laureate.
