The Angelic Saint of Pakistan Bilquis Bano Edhi
SOME are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them, but the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth, power or influence he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability affect those around him positively.
Bilquis Bano Edhi, the most towering and glittering star in the field of social welfare, passed away in Karachi on 15 April 2022 at the age of 74.
She was rightly called “Mother of Orphans” because she managed to save and raise thousands of orphans abandoned by their parents or left to die.
One of her many great humanitarian projects was the “Jhoola” project under which she placed metal cribs across the country and made a passionate appeal to place any unwanted new born baby in that crib and do not commit infanticide.
Indian Prime Minister Narendar Modi also conveyed his condolences. “My sincere condolences on the passing of Bilquis Edhi. Her lifelong dedication to humanitarian work touched the lives of people across the globe.
People in India too remember her fondly. May her soul rest in peace” messages of sympathy and condolences poured in from all over the world.
It was in 2015 that Bilquis Edhi received recognition and praise from the PM of India when she helped Geeta an Indian women differently abled who had accidentally crossed over to Pakistan and managed to send her back home to India.
The Indian PM announced that India will donate one crore rupees as a token of their appreciation but the offer was very politely declined by Sattar Edhi he did not accept aid from governments or institutions.
Nurse, humanitarian, philanthropist, social worker and an epitome of nobility Bilquis Bano Edhi was undoubtedly one of the greatest and kindest human beings that this country has ever produced.
Immediately after her death the National assembly of Pakistan passed a unanimous resolution recommending that she should posthumously receive the country’s highest award the Nishan-i-Pakistan for her unparalleled services to the nation.
During her lifetime she received numerous accolades and awards from all over the world. In 1986 she was conferred the Ramon Magsaysay award and along with her husband Sattar Edhi she got the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social service in 2015.
Bilquis worked tirelessly all her life as co-chair of Karachi based non-profit organization called the Edhi Foundation.
This foundation is recognized as the world’s largest volunteer ambulance network and also maintains homeless shelters and rehabilitation shelters among a myriad of other social services.
Edhi foundation was founded by her illustrious husband Sattar Edhi who died in 2016. Pakistan’s towering philanthropist and humanitarian was declared the ‘Person of the Decade’, along with human rights rapporteur of the UN Prof Yanghee Lee and the US ethicist Stephen Soldz.
The impact hallmarks had also declared her the most impactful person of the first two decades of the 21st century.
She had put her heart and soul into charity work specially helping women and children, during about sixty years of selfless service to the poorest of the poor she managed to save and raise about 42000 unwanted babies through her favorite “Jhoola” project.
The death of Bilquis Edhi is an irreparable loss for the nation. An incredibly great wonder woman she raised orphans, married poor homeless girls, provided food and shelter to the needy and stood like a rock with her husband to help him build an empire of charity unequalled in this country.
Her selfless devotion and untiring work for the needy especially the orphans and abandoned children made her a beacon of light and a symbol of hope and compassion.
As a humanitarian and philanthropist she dedicated her entire life to helping those in need and giving hope and comfort to the rejects of society she was a certainly a role model of service to humanity and will continue to be an inspiration for many.
First Lady Tehmina Durrani, who recently visited the ailing philanthropist in Karachi said, “Today I lost the woman who became my mother when I most needed one.
The entire world lost one of its most valuable assets. I had returned from Mithadar believing we would meet again, alas I head back to say a final farewell.
#BilquisEdhi was just another woman… but what a woman! ” Bilquis Bano Edhi was born on 14thAugust 1947 in Bantwa in the Indian state of Gujarat Kathiawar.
She migrated to Karachi with her family and as a teenager joined a small dispensary as a nurse in 1965.
She married Sattar Edhi age the age of nineteen and along with her husband plunged herself into social work.
Her husband saw her talents and made her the head of the nursing department after a six month training course where she learned the rudiments of midwifery and basic health care.
Bilquis Bano Edhi took over the management of all the maternity clinics and projects related to women.
An affiliate organization was created to manage the affairs of women and children and it was named after Bilquis. This nation owes her a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
