Nation mourns Abdul Sattar Edhi's demise
Tehmina Durrani has called for a public holiday on July 9 every year
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Nation is in mourning after legendary social worker, Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away on late Friday.
Federal government has announced one-day of mourning while Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments have announced three days of mourning.
Almost all traders in Sindh’s capital have suspended business today to pay respects to the legend. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is scheduled to participate in funeral prayer of late Edhi which will be offered in national stadium at 1:30 pm.
Women’s rights activist and Shahbaz Sharif’s wife, Tehmina Durrani has written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to announce a 21-gun-salute and three-day mourning across the country.
She also has called for a public holiday on July 9 every year.
Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad has termed Edhi’s demise loss of the entire nation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recognised Edhi’s contribution after Geeta was repatriated. A young Hindu woman who lost her parents and lived at one of the Edhi homes for years.
Modi had offered Rs 10 million charity for Edhi foundation however, Abdul Sattar refused to accept the funds.
Edhi was born on January 1, 1928 in Indian Gujarat and dedicated his life to philanothropy by establishing Pakistan’s biggest foundation by his name. In 2013, Huffington Post reported in 2013 that he might be the world’s greatest humanitarian. His contributions earned him the recognition of ‘Angel of Mercy’.
Edhi Foundation has rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants, trained over 40,000 nurses and taken care of not less than 50,000 orphans until now.
The foundation has the largest chain of shelters working across the countries with 330 centres. Ambulance service offered by the foundation is world‘s largest accoridng to an estimate with over 600 vechiles dedicated for the purpose.
The man lived in a room next to his office in one of the centres and owned two pairs of modest clothes. His place had a bed, a bathroom sink and a stove.
Edhi married a nurse, then working at one of the centres, Bilquis in 1965 and the couple had four children.
In 2013, doctors had told him that his kidneys had failed and he would survive using dialysis for the rest of his life unless he found a donor.
The world-famous philanthropist breathed his last yesterday after he was put on a ventilator.
He was visited by different famous personalities in hospital including Pakistan-born British boxer, Amir Khan.
