The demise of Abdul Sartar Edhi Sahib has saddened people not just in Pakistan but in many other countries because Abdul Sattar Edhi Foundation's network of emergency humanitarian services covered many countries and people witnessed the devotion with which these services served humanity at large, without any distinction.
Thus, Edhi Sahib was one of those Pakistanis who, by his personal selfless conduct and the services his Foundation provided, contained the ongoing erosion of Pakistan's global image, courtesy the socio-political-economic mess that Pakistan was turned into by successive governments.
The examples of sacrifice he set right up to the last moment of his life (donating his eyes for transplant) should serve as the beacon light for all of us, especially his honourable wife and his son, to continue Edhi Sahib's mission with greater zeal and devotion because that's the only way to reward him for his unforgettable services. We must also console his family and assure them of even greater support for the Edhi Foundation.
By refusing to go abroad for treatment, he set an example of both simplicity and patriotism - example that our supremacy-claiming politicians don't find worth setting. It is therefore no surprise that the Prime Minister didn't find it appropriate to reward Edhi Sahib with the Nishan-e-Pakistan, although he deserved nothing less. Equally disappointing is the fact that Edhi Sahib was not awarded the Nobel Prize for his admirable humanitarian services.
May Allah reward Edhi Sahib with the blessings he deserves, and inspire many more among us to follow his footprints in setting more examples of selflessness, sacrifice, and devotion to the noble cause of helping all those in distress, and do all that is needed to assist the poverty-stricken and the disabled in confronting the socio-economic challenges they face.