PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The aging man in
mud-splattered, frayed clothes has barely lowered his body onto the
sidewalk when the money starts piling up. Heeding his call for
donations for flood victims, Pakistanis of all classes rush to hand
over cash to Abdul Sattar Edhi, whose years of dedication to the
poor have made him a national icon.
He thanks each donor, some of whom ask to have their
photo taken next to him. Four hours later, the crowd remains — and
the equivalent of $15,000 is overflowing from a pink basket in
front of him.
Edhi has been helping the destitute and sick for more
than 60 years, filling the hole left by a state that has largely
neglected the welfare of its citizens. Part Mother Teresa, part
Gandhi, with a touch of Marx, he is the face of humanitarianism in
Pakistan.
Funded by donations from fellow citizens, his 250
centers across the country take in orphans, the mentally ill,
unwanted newborns, drug addicts, the homeless, the sick and the
aged. His fleet of ambulances picks up victims of terrorist
bombings, gang shootings, car accidents and natural disasters.
Pakistan's corruption-riddled government acknowledges Edhi and
other charities do the work that in other nations the state
performs. The country has no national health service, insurance
program or welfare system, and few state-run orphanages or old
people's homes.
The foundation offers an alternative to charitable work
performed by hardline Islamist groups in Pakistan, some with
alleged links to terrorism. The spread of these organizations has
triggered concerns in the West, including their work in the
aftermath of this summer's floods.
Edhi is a devout Muslim, but critical of Islamic clerics in
general, not just extremists. He says they focus on ritual,
preaching hellfire and defending the faith against imagined
enemies, rather than helping the poor — which he says should be the
cornerstone of all faiths.