Bilquis Edhi, philanthropist in her own right, carries on beloved husband’s legacy

Bilquis Bano Edhi, the 74-year-old widow of Abdul Sattar Edhi, speaks to Arab News in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 5, 2022. (AN Photo)
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Updated 07 March 2022
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Bilquis Edhi, philanthropist in her own right, carries on beloved husband’s legacy

  • 74-year-old widow of Abdul Sattar Edhi calls husband an ‘open-minded’ man who always supported women
  • Though people believed the marriage wouldn’t last, Edhis lived 50 years as partners in life and charity work

KARACHI: Bilquis Edhi was 17 years old when she joined a nursing home set up by Abdul Sattar Edhi, the Pakistani philanthropist whose name became synonymous with charitable causes and who achieved an almost saintly status in Pakistan.
At 19, Edhi, almost two decades her senior, proposed to Bilquis and the two were married in Karachi, kicking off a partnership of life and humanitarian work that lasted half a century.
Together, they worked closely running the Edhi Foundation, which Edhi single-handedly set up almost 60 years ago, starting with meagre resources and then expanding through private donations. 
In the beginning, the foundation had one ambulance that Edhi drove himself. Today, the charity operates nursing homes, orphanages, soup kitchens and family planning centers — all free of charge — as well as Pakistan’s largest ambulance service. 
Edhi, often called the “Father Teresa” of Pakistan, died in 2016, aged 88. He was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters who carry on the Foundation’s work.
In a wide-ranging interview to Arab News, Bilquis, 74, described her late husband as a “liberal” and “open-minded” man who cared deeply about women’s welfare. One of the first charitable initiatives of his life was setting up a women’s nursing home.
“He first opened a nursing home,” Bilquis, a trained nurse and co-chair of the Edhi Foundation, said. ” [He used to say,] don’t beat them, don’t impose restrictions on them, if they have skills, let them work.”




The undated photo shows Bilquis Bano Edhi, co-chair of the Edhi foundation, working in an office in Mithadar, Karachi. (AN Grab from Edhi's family photo album) 

Bilquis laughed as she spoke about her marriage to a man famous for his humble way of living, who thought sugar was an unnecessary expense, and was usually seen wearing an often-mended grey tunic.
People did not think the marriage would last longer than a few months, she said, since her tastes and habits were entirely different from her husband’s.
“I liked to go for outings, to watch movies,” she said, while Edhi was obsessed only with social work. She often made excuses, she said, to be able to go watch a movie while telling him she would be attending a funeral. The only film her husband had ever watched was Zarqa, a 1969 Pakistani movie based on the life a Palestinian dancer and activist, which Bilquis played for Edhi on a rented video player.

Ultimately, however, she said she embraced her husband’s lifestyle and then stood by him until his death.
“I never got scared,” she said. “I always accompanied him. He used to say I [Bilquis] was performing 70 percent of the work. There could not be anything bigger [than that compliment].”




In this undated photo shows Bilquis Edhi (left) posing for a picture with her husband Abdul Sattar Edhi. (AN Grab from Edhi family photo album)

Bilquis recalled how the Edhis’ work became more tedious during the 1965 India-Pakistan war when aerial bombardment left dead bodies on the ground, which she and her husband picked up with the help of a team of volunteers. They also removed the remains of abandoned babies, mostly born out of wedlock, from the trash and picked up corpses left behind on scenes of accidents and gang violence on the teeming alleyways of Karach. The Edhi ambulance service, with at least 1,500 vehicles, became grimly familiar in Pakistan, whether ferrying people maimed in terror attacks or carrying those injured in natural disasters.
“I never got scared, I would always accompany him [Edhi],” Bilquis said. “Even when there would be firing, we would go there and we would not get scared.”
Edhi, Bilquis said, had also saved the lives of thousands of abandoned newborns by placing cradles outside Edhi centers and other parts of Karachi and Pakistan.
“We would collect the dead bodies [of newborns] from the trash, from the street, and from any place where we would find them, we would pick them even if they had worms,” Bilquis said. “Then Edhi Sb said, ‘let’s place cradles [and said to people], don’t kill them, don’t commit sin, put them in the cradles, we will adopt them’.”
“So, we placed cradles and we faced opposition, we were called infidels ... atheists,” Bilquis said, adding that people said Edhi would go to hell for raising children born without wedlock.
“But he was not scared of anyone,” Bilquis said. “Allah helped us progress because we would protect innocent children and hand them over to someone who could not have children.”




Bilquis Bano Edhi, the 74-year-old widow of Abdul Sattar Edhi, speaks to Arab News in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 5, 2022. (AN Photo)

Today, Bilquis said, children raised at Edhi centers or adopted from there by families had become doctors, engineers and scholars and many lived in foreign countries such as the United States, Britain and Ireland. For the kids who could not be adopted, the Edhis opened schools at all centers established by the Foundation. Girls at the centers would be married off by Bilquis herself, with proposals painstakingly assessed to ensure the men had stable jobs, owned homes and were not addicted to alcohol or drugs.
In 2015, a deaf-mute Indian girl stranded in Pakistan for 13 years after wandering over one of the world’s most militarised borders was reunited with her family in India by the Edhis who had cared for her during her time in Pakistan.
Geeta was brought to the Edhi home for lost and abandoned children by Pakistani soldiers.
“I had first named her Fatima as the helpless girl couldn’t speak and there was no sign which could recognize [her identity],” Bilquis said.
When the girl repeatedly put her hands together to greet the Edhis and others and touched their feet, a common custom in India when meeting elders, Bilquis said she realized she was a Hindu and must be from neighboring India. The Edhis thus helped her remain connected to her religion, celebrating Hindu festivals such as Holi and buying her new clothes and bangles for Diwali.
“We would become Hindus [with her] and would do whatever she would do,” said Bilquis, who still remains in touch with her adopted daughter via Zoom.
Today, in a country where government-run services have been glaringly ill equipped to deal with humanitarian crises, the Edhis’ social welfare system has become a trusted household name. And though there is a drop in donations since Edhi’s death, Bilquis said she would carry on her husband’s legacy, taking guidance from the lessons he had taught her in his lifetime.
“If you remove Edhi from me, then I am nothing,” she said. “Edhi trained me, he taught me wisdom.”


Army says suicide bomber recruiter among four militants killed in southwest Pakistan 

Updated 13 November 2024
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Army says suicide bomber recruiter among four militants killed in southwest Pakistan 

  • High value target recruited suicide bombers for separatist outfit BLA in district Kech, says army 
  • Last week’s bomb blast claimed by BLA at railway station in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 24

ISLAMABAD: Security forces shot dead four militants, among them a recruiter for suicide bombers for the separatist outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in an intelligence-based operation in southwest Pakistan, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

The operation was conducted in Balgatar area of southwestern Balochistan province’s Kech district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. 

Pakistan launched an armed operation in Balochistan earlier this month against separatist militants behind multiple attacks in August in which over 50 people, including civilians and security officials were killed. The BLA also claimed responsibility for a bomb blast last week that killed at least 24 people and left 50 injured at a railway station in Quetta.

“During the conduct of the operation, after an intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, four terrorists including a high-value target, terrorist ringleader Sana (alias) Baru were killed,” the ISPR said. 

“He was a focal recruitment agent, especially suicide bombers, for the so-called Majeed Brigade in District Kech and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies.”

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain “terrorists,” the army’s media wing said. It added that security forces had launched a sanitization operation to eliminate any other “terrorists” found in the area.

Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which shares porous borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for decades. Ethnic Baloch nationalists have long accused the central government and Punjab of monopolizing profits from Balochistan’s natural resources. 

The state denies these allegations and says it is working on several projects to usher in development in the gas-and-oil rich province. 


Father of British-Pakistani girl admits killing her but denies intent

Updated 13 November 2024
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Father of British-Pakistani girl admits killing her but denies intent

  • Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead in her bed in southwest London in August last year with serious injuries
  • Her father, Urfan Sharif, had fled to Pakistan a day before her body was found with his wife and Sara’s uncle

LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on Wednesday admitted that he killed his daughter but maintained he had not meant to harm her, even as he beat her when she lay dying.

Sara Sharif was found dead in her bed in Woking, southwest of London, on August 10, 2023, with extensive injuries including broken bones, burns and bite marks.

Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, had fled to Pakistan a day before her body was found, with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.

All three adults deny murder and a separate charge of allowing the death of a child.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey court in central London, Urfan Sharif had previously blamed Batool, Sara’s stepmother, and said she had forced him to confess to killing her.

But under questioning from his wife’s lawyer on Wednesday the taxi driver said he took “full responsibility” for what had happened, but that he had not intended to hurt Sara.

Asked if he killed Sara by beating, he replied: “Yes, she died because of me.”

He also admitted causing multiple fractures in the weeks before Sara’s death, using a cricket bat on her as she was bound with packaging tape, throttling her with his bare hands and breaking the hyoid bone in her neck.

“I can take full responsibility. I accept every single thing,” he said, also accepting that he badly beat Sara on August 8 when she had collapsed and was dying.

He maintained however that he was not guilty of the murder charge. “I did not want to hurt her. I didn’t want to harm her,” he told the jury.

Sara’s body was discovered in her bed on August 10. Her father phoned British police after arriving in Islamabad and said he had beaten his daughter “too much.”

A written confession was found beside her. A post-mortem examination found she had suffered multiple injuries, including at least 25 broken bones.

She also had burns and human bite marks on her body but Urfan Sharif denied making them.

The defendants were arrested on September 13 when they flew back to the UK.


Pakistan says Morocco interested in collaborating in aerospace sector

Updated 13 November 2024
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Pakistan says Morocco interested in collaborating in aerospace sector

  • Moroccan Air Force Inspector Maj. Gen. Mohammed Gadih calls on Pakistan’s chief of air staff in Islamabad
  • Both officials discuss military cooperation and enhancing joint training exercises between the two countries

ISLAMABAD: Moroccan Air Force Inspector Major General Mohammed Gadih has expressed interest in collaborating with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the aerospace sector, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday, as the two countries move toward strengthening defense relations. 

Pakistan and Arab countries enjoy strong defense ties, with both engaging in frequent joint training exercises and collaborations related to defense production and counter-terrorism intelligence sharing. 

Gadih called on Pakistan’s Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu in Islamabad to discuss military cooperation and enhancing joint training between both countries, the Inter-Services Public Relations, (ISPR) the military’s media wing, said. 

“Maj Gen Gadih lauded the technological advancement of PAF and expressed the desire of Moroccan Air Force to learn from aerospace industrial strides of PAF to enhance its operational capabilities,” the ISPR said. 

“He conveyed his admiration for the state-of-the-art technological ecosystem witnessed during his visit to National Aerospace Science and Technology Park and shared his deep interest in exploring avenues of collaboration in the industrial domain.” 

The Pakistani air chief reiterated his resolve to strengthen bilateral military partnership with Morocco, saying that it could be achieved through collaboration in joint training initiatives such as basic and tactical level training for Moroccan Air Force personnel. 

The Moroccan air force official also visited different installations and technological infrastructure at the Air Headquarters, including the National ISR and Integrated Air Operations Center. 
 


Pakistan PM assures Beijing of taking all possible steps to ensure Chinese nationals’ safety

Updated 13 November 2024
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Pakistan PM assures Beijing of taking all possible steps to ensure Chinese nationals’ safety

  • Shehbaz Sharif meets Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at sidelines of COP29 summit in Baku 
  • Beijing has grown anxious over increasing number of attacks in Pakistan targeting Chinese nationals 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday assured China’s vice premier that Pakistan was determined to root out “terrorism” from its country, saying that Islamabad was taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals. 

Separatist outfits in Pakistan have previously attacked Chinese nationals in the country, with Islamabad saying the attacks are aimed at disrupting its ties with Beijing and destabilizing a multi-billion-dollar Chinese infrastructure project in Pakistan. A deadly suicide blast near the airport in the southern city of Karachi last month targeted Chinese engineers, killing two and injuring 21 others. In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the largest hydropower project in the country.

China, breaking with tradition, recently spoke out publicly against security threats to its workers and nationals in Pakistan. 

Sharif, who was in Baku to attend the global COP29 climate summit conference, met Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at the sidelines of the summit to speak about bilateral ties between the two allies. 

“While highlighting the government’s steps for the security of Chinese citizens in Pakistan, the prime minister said the government is taking all possible steps to ensure the security of Chinese nationals,” Sharif’s office said. 

“The prime minister mentioned the government’s steps to completely eliminate the menace of terrorism from Pakistan and said that the government is determined to uproot terrorism from the country,” it added. 

Sharif said China was Pakistan’s longstanding friend, adding that a new era of strengthening relations between the two countries had begun.

Separately, Sharif met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at the sidelines of the conference to congratulate him on successfully holding the World Leaders Climate Action Summit in Baku, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

Sharif assured Aliyev that Islamabad was committed to work with Azerbaijan and the international community on challenges related to climate change. 

“The two leaders reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations,” the PMO said. “They expressed their commitment to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, particularly in the areas of economic and defense cooperation; as well as people to people and cultural ties.”

Sharif expressed optimism about enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields including technology sharing and joint ventures in renewable energy, his office said. 

In recent months, Pakistan has increasingly sought to attract investment and trade with regional countries, especially the Central Asian states, as it suffers from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis. It seeks to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting the Central Asian republics with the rest of the world, leveraging its strategic geographical position.
 


Pakistan's Punjab says light rains from Nov. 14-16 likely to reduce smog

Updated 13 November 2024
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Pakistan's Punjab says light rains from Nov. 14-16 likely to reduce smog

  • Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s cultural capital Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month
  • Rain expected to occur in Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Rawalpindi and other districts on Nov. 14

ISLAMABAD: Light rains forecast by Pakistan's Meteorological Department from Nov. 14-16 in most districts of Punjab are likely to reduce smog in the eastern province, the provincial's disaster management authority said on Wednesday, as the deteriorating air quality continues to put the health of millions of people at risk. 

Toxic smog has shrouded Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments forcing Punjab to close schools until Nov. 17 to protect children’s health. The UN children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is in danger due to air pollution. 

South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, is shrouded in intense pollution every winter as cold air traps emissions, dust, and smoke from farm fires. Pollution could cut more than five years from people’s life expectancy in the region, a study found last year.

“According to the Meteorological Department, rains are likely in Punjab from November 14 to 16,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab said. “Director General PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia said that the possible rains are likely to reduce smog.”

Rains are expected to lash Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Jhelum, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mianwali, Khushab and Sargodha districts of Punjab, with thunderstorms predicted for Bhakkar, Layyah, and Dera Ghazi Khan districts on Nov. 15.

PDMA Punjab urged people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against smog and not to venture out unnecessarily. 

Seasonal crop burn-off by farmers on the outskirts of Lahore also contributed to toxic air, which the World Health Organization says can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.