ilquis Edhi, a commendable and praiseworthy name in the social and humanitarian circuit, dedicated her life to serving humanity. She passed away at the age of 74. Nothing short of a national loss. However, she continues to live on in the hearts of thousands of children and women for whom Bilquis was the last and only hope for survival.

Bilquis Edhi was born on August 14, 1947 in Karachi. She joined the training centre at Edhi Foundation when she was in the 8th grade. She married Abdul Sattar Edhi in April 1966. An eminent force serving the most underprivileged sections of Pakistani society, especially women and children, the couple began as a team doing charitable work that touched lives for more than 60 years. They worked together to run an extensive Edhi Foundation which her husband Abdul Sattar Edhi had set up independently in the beginning with meagre resources. Steadily, the Edhis emerged as a power couple and their network continued to expand through vast private donations. This impressive social enterprise became Pakistan’s major relief organisation with a world-wide charity empire comprising a network of nursing homes, maternity clinics, orphanages, medical centres, ambulances, graveyards, adoption services for abandoned children, family planning centres, kitchens, all free of charge, and international offices in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Japan.

Numerous children have been left in cribs outside Edhi centres that Bilquis had set up across Pakistan, commonly known as the jhoola project. She is known to have watched over abandoned bodies of children born out of wedlock retrieving them from trash bins, the roadside, and from any place they would find them. She is also remembered for her major contribution in the India-Pakistan 1965 war, where she saw many brutally mutilated bodies that she had to wash for burial. She worked relentlessly alongside her employees and volunteers to wash these bodies.

A benevolent soul, Bilquis always shone with kindness, empathy and compassion – quiet yet relentless, humble yet magnanimous, loving yet stringent, an unbelievably caring woman. Her jhoola project saved countless babies from infanticide. Most of these babies left in the cradle at the doorstep have been girls. Edhi foundation also took up older children to adoptive families in Pakistan, helping couples who couldn’t have children. Bilquis Edhi exemplified unconditional love, care and empathy, earning her the title Mother of Orphans, although this did not come easily. The work incurred backlash from religious conservatives who accused them of being infidels and condemned them for “sheltering illegitimate children”. They were robbed of the valuables that they had collected through private donations, dedicated to serving their cause. Bilquis and Abdul Sattar Edhi remained steadfast. The charity has managed to save more than 42,000 children from infanticide.

Bilquis had also wholeheartedly cared for a deaf and mute Hindu girl, Geeta, who was found by the Pakistan Rangers stranded at Samjhota Express, at the Lahore railway station. Bilquis Edhi first named her Fatima as there was no way to identify her. Later, Bilquis found out that she belonged to the Hindu community when Geeta repeatedly put her hands together for greetings and touched their feet, a common practice in India while meeting the elders. 

Bilquis had also wholeheartedly cared for a deaf and mute Hindu girl, Geeta, who was found by the Pakistan Rangers stranded at Samjhota Express, at the Lahore railway station. Bilquis Edhi first named her Fatima as there was no way to identify her. Later, Bilquis found out that she belonged to the Hindu community when Geeta repeatedly put her hands together for greetings and touched their feet, a common practice in India while meeting the elders. The Edhis then ensured that the girl remained associated to her religion, celebrating Holi and Diwali festivals and buying new clothes and bangles for the occasions. After 13 years, in 2015, they were finally able to unite her with her family in India.

Many of these children raised at Edhi centres or adopted by families from there, have been successful in their lives as engineers, doctors and scholars, settled in the US, England and Ireland. The Edhis also set up schools for those who could not be adopted. Bilquis undertook the responsibility of marrying off the girls, after careful scrutiny of the proposals by assessing whether or not the prospective candidate had a stable job, a secure home and was not abusing drugs or substances.

Bilquis frequently travelled to oversee the Edhi Homes across Pakistan to observe any shortcomings and recommended improvements. She was very stringent in following the criteria to approve or reject couples seeking to adopt a child. All couples were personally interviewed by her.

Bilquis and Abdul Sattar Edhi’s children – Faisal, Kubra, Zeenat and Almas – have taken upon themselves to carry the legacy forward. Her name will forever be etched in everyone’s hearts. With her husband, she received the 1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, the prestigious Hilal-i-Imtiaz for her persevering selfless work. She is also the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize and the esteemed Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice. She was named the Person of the Decade in 2021 for being the most impactful person along with the likes of Professor Yanghee Lee and Stephen Soldz.

Various politicians, philanthropists and celebrities including Sarim Burney, Arif Alvi, Shahbaz Sharif, Narendra Modi, Hadiqa Kiani, Imran Khan, Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam, Zeba Bakhtiar and Aijaz Aslam condoled her demise. In Pakistan, where basic necessities are barely accessible, where state-run organisations are disturbingly ill-equipped to deal with social issues, the Edhis set up a welfare system reminding us time and again that nothing is more powerful in this world than kindness.

Bilquis Edhi passed away on April 15, 2022.