Candlelight vigils were arranged by various civil society groups, while a wall of kindness with a mural of Edhi became a makeshift shrine. PHOTOS: MUDASSAR RAJA/EXPRESS
No beta, they will stay forever.
This little conversation between a little girl and her father, who was speaking to The Express Tribune, might sum up the day. A good man is gone forever, but “we will never forget his works…his services to the poor, and to this country”, in the words of another attendee at a candlelight vigil held on Saturday in Children’s Park next to Kohsar Market in Islamabad. Civil society activists and “regular folks” had gathered to honour Abdus Sattar Edhi, hours after.
On the side of the walkway on which candles had been set up to spell Edhi’s name in English and Urdu. Rameez Mumtaz of Green Volunteers was among the people preparing signs. He said, “This is a little tribute to the person who inspired all of us to enter social work,” adding that “we all promised ourselves to try and fulfil his mission. We will all try to be Edhis.”
An older couple, asking not to be named, said they were there to pay homage to the person who helped them build their family. They said their only child, now a grown woman with her own family, was adopted from an Edhi centre.
Asif, a nine-year-old from a nearby slum, was playing in the park with his friends when he came over to see what was happening. He said he also wanted to say a prayer for Edhi because “Edhi’s car (ambulance)” took my mother to hospital and saved her life”. He then rushed off to make it home to his mother before sunset.
While the ambulance he described seemed more like a government ambulance, the fact that Edhi’s name is synonymous with emergency medical vehicles is not a coincidence. The man ran the world’s biggest charitable ambulance service.
Nageen Hyat, a human rights defender who also runs Nomad Art Gallery, said, “We are here to pay homage to one of the crucially important positives of Pakistan.” She spoke of Edhi’s dedication and commitment to his cause, while also critiquing how the media was more concerned with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif getting on and off a plane rather than the loss of a great Pakistani.
She suggested that if “each of us follow his mission of humanity and pick just one of his causes to support”, we could make the country a better place.
Soon, some attendees began chanting, “We are all Edhi”, and “We must be Edhi”.
Nearby, Muhammad Anar, one of the policemen on duty next to the park, also offered a few words. “He was such a selfless man. He devoted his life to helping people. We must never let him fade from our memory.” Anar’s words unquestionably resonate with the Diaspora of Pakistanis as individuals from distinct backgrounds had immense appreciation for Edhi’s dedication to serving the needy.
A retiree standing at a distance was holding back tears. During a short conversation, he joked about having a cardiac condition and that he wished he had Edhi’s heart. “The man gave 99 per cent of his heart to the downtrodden, and still made it around 90 years with the other one per cent. We should all be so lucky.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2016.
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