ISLAMABAD: Bilquis Edhi, the wife of renowned humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi and co-chair of the Edhi Foundation charitable organization, passed away in Karachi on Friday, her family said. She was aged 74.
Bilquis had been ill for the last one month, according to an Edhi Foundation spokesperson. She had been hospitalized three days ago after a sudden drop in her blood pressure.
“She was admitted in Agha Khan hospital, where she passed away. The time of funeral will be announced shortly,” Saad Edhi, her grandson, told Arab News.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the passing of Bilquis Edhi and described it as a “huge loss” for the nation.
“An incredible woman in her own right, she stood by Edhi sahab like a rock and together they set up an example of human compassion and ran one of the largest philanthropic organizations of the world,” the prime minister said on Twitter.
“May her soul rest in peace!”
On Wednesday, First Lady Tehmina Durrani had also visited Bilquis during PM Sharif’s maiden visit to Karachi since taking oath of his office.
Bilquis 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.
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)
Together, they worked closely running the Edhi Foundation. 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.
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)
Edhi died in 2016, aged 88. The couple is survived by two sons and two daughters who carry on the Foundation’s work.
