IT will be difficult to fill the vacuum left behind by Bilquis Edhi, who passed away on Friday. Aptly referred to as the ‘mother of Pakistan’, her love for all those who needed it knew no bounds. During six decades of selfless service, her foundation took in over 42,000 unwanted newborns left in cradles outside Edhi homes and centres across the country. Her plea not to kill babies but to leave them in the jhoola instead, defined her mission. This, however, constituted only a part of her work in a country where the poor and vulnerable are left to fend for themselves. In their hour of need, thousands turned to her for comfort and help, which she gave generously. One of the first nurses to have graduated from the Edhi hospital in Mithadar, Karachi, Bilquis Edhi managed all women- and children-related affairs at the Edhi centres, hospitals and orphanages, and personally scrutinised the credentials of couples who had approached her foundation to adopt a child. Today, there are countless parents in the country and abroad who have reason to be grateful to Bilquis Edhi for bringing joy to their lives. It is no wonder that her work earned her several awards. Last year, she was recognised as the “most impactful person” of the first 20 years of this century. She was already a recipient of the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the Lenin Peace Prize, the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.

When her beloved husband Abdul Sattar Edhi — the “king without a crown” as Malala Yousafzai described him — passed away in 2016, her responsibilities increased. If Abdul Sattar Edhi was the soul of Pakistan, then Bilquis Edhi — who was exactly as old as the country itself — was the nation’s beating heart. The spirit of philanthropy is alive and well in the country, but for it to be channelled in a manner that it benefits all, the Edhi legacy should be a source of inspiration for hundreds of welfare groups.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022