IT is for the first time in Pakistan and India that someone has touched the hearts of the people in the two countries. The late Abdul Sattar Edhi is one such person. Both Pakistan and India should be proud of him.

Edhi along with his family migrated from Indian Gujarat to Karachi in 1947. The family was penniless. Edhi, however, always took out money from his meager earnings for the poor.

He has left behind a charity that is the greatest philanthropic organisation of its kind in South Asia. The Edhi Welfare Foundation looks after poor, sick and needy people through a network of hundreds of orphanages, hospitals, shelters and rehabilitation centres. More than 1,500 ambulances are serving humanity without discrimination towards religion, caste or creed.

The affection and care that Edhi bestowed upon a female Indian child, called Geeta, was the zenith of humanity. That deed alone puts him in the ranks of devtas (gods). He did not overlook even the minutest details. Her meals, her bhajans and the ambiance around her were exactly what she would get in a Hindu Ashram. Geeta is now in Indore.

Edhi not only served Pakistan, but also rushed to help countries struck by natural calamities like Bangladesh, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. When Gujarat was hit by an earthquake, he did not lag behind.

Edhi’s simplicity matched that of Mahatma Gandhi. He did not own a house; his apparel comprised only two pairs of clothing. Over the last 20 years, he managed with only one pair of shoes.

He never looked for any publicity. On several occasions, he was overlooked for the Nobel Prize, but he was much above this prize.

Rashid Latif Ansari

Toronto, Canada

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IN the death of Abdul Sattar Edhi the humanity has lost an outstanding philanthropist and an arch of peace as well.

Mansoor ul Haque Solangi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2016