Abdul Sattar Edhi

"Edhi" redirects here. For other uses, see Edhi (disambiguation).

Abdul Sattar Edhi
NI LPP
عبد ااستار ایدھی
Edhi, c. 2009
Born(1928-02-28)28 February 1928[1][2]
Bantva, Bantva Manavadar, British India
Died8 July 2016(2016-07-08) (aged 88)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Resting placeEdhi Village, Karachi
25°03′N 67°29′E / 25.05°N 67.49°E / 25.05; 67.49
Other namesAngel of Mercy[3]
The Richest Poor Man[4]
OrganizationEdhi Foundation
Spouse
​
(m. 1965)​
Children4
Awards
Websiteedhi.org

Abdul Sattar Edhi NI LPP (Urdu: عبد الستار ایدھی; 28 February 1928[6] – 8 July 2016)[1][7][2][8] was a Pakistani humanitarian, philanthropist and ascetic who founded the Edhi Foundation, which runs the world's largest ambulance network,[9] along with homeless shelters, animal shelters,[10] rehabilitation centres, and orphanages across Pakistan.[11]

Edhi's charitable activities expanded greatly in 1957 when an Asian flu epidemic originating in China swept through Pakistan and the rest of the world. Donations allowed him to buy his first ambulance the same year. He later expanded his charity network with the help of his wife Bilquis Edhi.[11][12] Following his death, his son Faisal Edhi took over as head of the Edhi Foundation.

Over his lifetime, the Edhi Foundation expanded, backed entirely by private donations from Pakistani citizens across class, which included establishing a network of 1,800 ambulances. By the time of his death, Edhi was registered as a parent or guardian of nearly 20,000 adopted children.[7] He is known amongst Pakistanis as the "Angel of Mercy" and is considered to be Pakistan's most respected and legendary figure.[3][13] In 2013, The Huffington Post claimed that he might be "the world's greatest living humanitarian".[14]

Edhi maintained a hands-off management style and was often critical of the corruption commonly found within the religious organizations, clergy and politicians.[15] He was a strong proponent of religious tolerance in Pakistan and extended his support to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 1985 famine in Ethiopia.[16][17] He was nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Edhi received several domestic as well as international awards such as Ramon Magsaysay Award[18] and the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize.[19]

He died in July 2016 and was buried with full state honours.

  1. ^ a b Alam, Mukhtar (12 November 2006). "KARACHI: IBA awards doctorate to Sattar Edhi". Dawn. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Celebrated humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi passes away in Karachi". DAWN.COM. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b Ahmed, Munir (8 July 2016). "Pakistan's legendary 'Angel of Mercy' Abdul Edhi dies at age 88". Toronto Star. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  4. ^ Khan, Hassan (26 April 2016). "Edhi: The richest poor man". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  5. ^ Kohli, Suneeti Ahuja. "Angel of mercy". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Abdul Sattar Edhi: Why Google honours him today". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  7. ^ a b Boone, Jon (13 July 2016). "Abdul Sattar Edhi obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Land mafia taking over Edhi properties". Global Village Space. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Abdul Sattar Edhi: Why Google honours him today". www.aljazeera.com. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  10. ^ "KARACHI: Animal care still a distant dream". Dawn. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Celebrated humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi passes away in Karachi". Dawn. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  12. ^ Masood, Salman (8 July 2016). "Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan's 'Father Teresa,' Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi dies aged 88". BBC News. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  14. ^ The World's Greatest Living Humanitarian May Be From Pakistan, The Huffington Post. Retrieved 24 March 2016
  15. ^ "Dailytimes | Edhi: the ordinary man who was extraordinary — II". dailytimes.com.pk. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  16. ^ (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "Abdul Sattar Edhi – A life bigger than accolades | Asia | DW.COM | 8 July 2016". DW.COM. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Edhi Foundation gave $100,000 for Katrina relief efforts: US ambassador". Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Pakistan's humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi dies". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan's 'Father Teresa' who 'adopted' 20,000 children". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 June 2017.