Even in death, Edhi reunites children with parents

Two inmates at the Edhi home meet families after reports were aired in the wake of the great humanitarian’s demise

QUETTA: “If there were no Edhi centres in Quetta, then it would be hard for me to find my 11-year-old son,” said Durrani Khan, a daily wage earner, who has now been reunited with his youngest son Ziaullah.

Mentally challenged and deaf and dumb by birth, Zia went missing on the way to his uncle’s house around seven months back. “On that day, we started worrying when he did not return even after many hours,” Durrani said.

The entire family started a hunt which lasted for weeks but all in vain. It was hard for the family as the child could not speak and understood only sign language, the father added.



The family published an ad in local newspapers and made announcements in mosques seeking help to trace the boy. The family members also went to nearby districts in his search. “Days changed into months. We were worried sick as Zia has special needs,” he said. “We could not celebrate Eidul Fitr. We missed him every single day.”

He said the family had lost hope after continuous failure to trace the boy in and around Quetta. However, when just when despondency was taking a firm grip on the family, a friend called Durrani and told him about the whereabouts of his boy.

“I saw your boy on TV during Fateh Khawani for Abdul Sattar Edhi,” the friend told the father. “He is at the Edhi centre in Quetta.”

Durrani did not wait a single minute and rushed to the Civil Hospital to meet the volunteers of Edhi, who informed him about the address of Edhi Home on Patel Bagh, in downtown Quetta.

“I cannot explain my feeling when I saw Ziaullah. And I can’t explain his expression when he saw me. We broke into tears,” Durrani said. “Zia was well and in good health,” he added.

The happy father appreciated the work of the Edhi centre and thanked it for taking care of his child all these months.  “That day I thought as to why we cannot have a ruler with the vision of Edhi. Why do we always have corrupt politicians and officials who do nothing,” he said.

“Abdul Sattar Edhi was a great humanitarian and served the poor and the needy,” Durrani added. “We are indebted to him.”

The In-charge of Eidhi Home Quetta, Yasmeen Naz, said Ziaullah, a resident of Ghousabad Saryab area of Quetta, had been with them for the last seven months.



“His father came to know about his presence in the Edhi home after the death of Abdul Sattar Eidhi when reports on Edhi centres were shown on TV channels and social media,” she told The Express Tribune.

She said another child, hailing from Lahore, met his parents because of these reports. “A total of 20 people including two children and nine women are being taken care of at Edhi Home in Quetta,” she said, adding that some of the women present are not mentally stable.

About the recently admitted children at the centre, she told the story of Ibrahim, 6, a resident of Ismael Colony in Quetta. “Before he lived with his father, but his father is old. He works all the day as a cleaner and there isn’t any one to take care of the child that’s why he brought him here,” Naz said.

There was another boy Danish, 12, who belongs to Karachi and was at Mithadar Edhi Home before his arrival in Quetta. “I was very small when I was lost and I just remember my grandfather’s name, which was Abdul Latif,” Danish told The Express Tribune.

“I came here four years ago before that I used to be in Karachi and played with the late Abdul Sattar Edhi every time, he took care of every child all the time,” Danish said.

Naz said Danish cried all day and night when he came to know about Edhi’s death.

Balochistan Edhi Centre in-charge Ali Ahmed said they are working in 300 different categories of services. “There are three centres present in Quetta of which two deal in ambulance vehicles and the other one has been turned into a Edhi home for children and the needy,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.