EDHI QUOTATIONS
- ‘[People] have yet to become human’
- ‘My ambulance is more Muslim than you’
- ‘No religion higher than humanity’
Abdul Sattar Edhi founded the world’s largest volunteer ambulance network in Pakistan, the Edhi Foundation.
Unlike wealthy individuals that fund charities in their names, Edhi dedicated his life to the poor from the age of 20, when he himself was penniless in Karachi.
The reach of Edhi’s foundation grew internationally, and in 2005 the organisation raised $100,000 in aid relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Edhi was born before partition in Bantva, Gujarat, India on February 28, 1928.
He died last year in Karachi of renal failure. He was offered treatment abroad but insisted on being treated in a government hospital at home.
A team of ‘Googlers’ decides who gets the doodle treatment, the tech giant says [Screenshot from Google] |
The Edhi Foundation’s slogan is: “Live and help live”.
Today would have been his 89th birthday.
In his honour, Google changed its logo in the United States; Iceland; Portugal; Australia; New Zealand; Japan; Estonia; the UK; Denmark; Ireland and Pakistan to a doodle, or illustration, of Edhi.
Google hailed Edhi’s “super-efficient” ambulance service.
“In celebration of Abdul Sattar Edhi, let’s all lend a hand to someone in need today,” it said.
The technology giant’s team has created more than 2,000 doodles for homepages around the world. Among those recently celebrated are Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Fred Korematsu and Edmonia Lewis.
“The doodle selection process aims to celebrate interesting events and anniversaries that reflect Google’s personality and love for innovation,” the company says.
‘No religion higher than humanity’
With more than 1,800 ambulances stationed across Pakistan, the Edhi Foundation is Pakistan’s largest welfare organisation. In 1997, the foundation entered the GuinnessWorld Records as the “largest volunteer ambulance organisation”.
If you call 115 in the South Asian nation, the Edhi Foundation will answer.
People have become educated, but have yet to become human |
In his words, at the start of his work, Edhi “begged for donations” and “people gave”.
This allowed him to convert a tiny room into a medical dispensary. He also bought an ambulance that he himself drove around.
Raising more donations and enlisting medical students as volunteers, his humanitarian reach expanded across the country.
Today the Edhi Foundation runs outpatient hospitals, a child adoption centre and rescue boats.
It also helps in the burials of unidentified bodies.
There are cradles for “unwanted babies” outside Edhi emergency centres.
READ MORE: Thousands attend funeral for Pakistan’s legendary Edhi
Throughout his life, Edhi emphasised the humanitarian, rather than religious, motivation for his work.
His foundation receives “zakat” (Islamic charity) donations, which he used to help Muslims, Christians, and Hindus.
Asked why he helped non-Muslims, he said: “Because my ambulance is more Muslim than you.”
He also famously lamented: “People have become educated … but have yet to become human.”
When he died, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: “Edhi was the real manifestation of love for those who are socially vulnerable, impoverished, helpless and poor. We have lost a great servant of humanity.”
Nobel Peace Prize
Throughout his life and after he died, many questioned why Edhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala, who was a political pawn was given a Nobel Prize (due tothe lobbying efforts of the US government), which she did not deserve. It was just to rub noses of Muslim Pakistanis,that women are kept backward. Though, her backwardness was due to her tribal society in the FATA region of Pakistan, over which laws of Pakistan do not apply and the their backwardness in Islamic learning due to predominance of Islamically illiterate preachers, known as the “Mullas.”
After the nominations in 2014, the hashtag #NobelPrizeforEdhi was created; many said he should have been recognised instead of Malala Yousafzai, who is also from Pakistan.
In an interview with the Express Tribune newspaper, Edhi said: “I don’t care about it. The Nobel Prize doesn’t mean anything to me. I want these people, I want humanity.”
In that same interview, he recalled an incident that he would never forget.
“There was a woman who committed suicide by jumping into the sea along with her six children,” he said. “I was really saddened while giving them ‘ghusal‘ (Islamic washing ritual after death) as part of the funeral rituals.”
According to Pakistan’s Nation newspaper, the State Bank of Pakistan will next month issue a commemorative coin of Rs50 in memory of Edhi.
Edhi, who lived a modest life, helped impoverished people of all backgrounds [Anjum Naveed/AP] |
Source: Al Jazeera News
Jeopardize OBOR by Asad Khan Betini
Posted by Azahir in Asad Khan Betini, China, China-Pakistan-Russia Alliance, Commentary, PAK-CHINA FRIENDSHIP on November 29th, 2017
Jeopardize OBOR
Asad Khan Betini
China’s one belt one road (OBOR) is changing the world order since it is leading China to influence the western European market. Chinese liberal policy in terms of trade is being viewed as a windfall while CPEC being part of it is the foundation milestone of the project. China is Pakistan’s time-tested friend and has always backed Pakistan economically and logistically despite Islamabad’s cuddling with Washington. Sino-Pak friendship is a firm knot which can’t be unlocked but yet it seems that conspiracies have amplified to imbalance Sino-Pak relations and may endanger the grant. India has recently put proposals before China to reconsider Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar (BCIM) as an alternate corridor. India has also resorted to developing Chabahar and Abbass ports to improve trade with Iran and Afghanistan. India’s participation in developing Iran’s Chabahar port with an investment of $85.21 million is being viewed as dominant role in South Asia. Dehli’s investment in Chabahar port will definitely permit India to access & control the Strait of Hormuz that will even provide Israel an access to the Strait of Hormuz for the reason that India is Israel’s time-test friend.
On the other hand, India has raised concerns over growing militant hideouts in Pakistan, India is also proposing China to unleash Pakistan’s secret support to militants that are threatening the regional security and stability, even BRICS summit was predisposed by India to speak on Islamabad’s role on terrorism that brought China to play part for Indian bogey.
Accordingly, India has made reservations that East Turkistan Islamic Party (ECIP) is becoming threat to Chinese projects in deep state with sanctuaries in Tribal areas of Pakistan, but all these claims are yet unacceptable to China since Indo-US and Israel’s nexus is getting stronger and India has been identified as the largest recipient of U.S economic assistance.US may endanger the track of China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) once India gains its access and control Chabahar port.
India aspired to play a more dominant role in South Asia and it is openly believed that India intensified its attacks through proxy militants in Pakistani resource-rich province “Balochistan” and yet engaged in destruction activities, target killings, bomb blasts in Balochistan but security apparatus in Baluchistan has failed to counter terrorism.
This is not a portent anymore rather a fact, Kulbhoshan Jadhav has claimed all responsibilities for the operations carried out in Pakistani mineral-rich province yet Indo-US plans are to reinvigorate Free Balochistan Movement through fundraising campaigns abroad which are deeply seen as a threat to the existence of Pakistan. It may knock Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine to save its self from foreign aggression, China strongly backs Pakistan in a bid to protect its OBOR’s objectives.
Indo-Us fulcrum is seen as a threat by China since the US is concerned with Chinese liberal influence in the Western Europe. China is softly influencing the international market, particularly developing countries are now getting loans from Chinese International Investment bank (CIIB) rather than World Bank or IMF.
The world order is slowly spinning and CPEC is becoming game changer project in the region. Pakistan needs to promote its education sector, enhance security apparatus and ensure development, friendship, and peace with the neighboring countries for the long term to make it more successful. Pakistan needs to promote Islamic coalition bloc and must arbitrate between Saudi and Iran for détente, even Chinese foreign direct investments can fulfill the needs of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, so Pakistan must step forward to integrate Muslim brotherhood.
The Writer is Balochistan Based Freelance Journalist – He can be reached at [email protected]
CHINA, China-Pak Brotherhood, CPEC, OBOR, Pakistan
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