Abdul Sattar Edhi NI LPP (Urdu: عبد الستار ایدھی; 28 February 1928[6] – 8 July 2016)[1][7][2] was a Pakistani humanitarian, philanthropist and ascetic who founded the Edhi Foundation, which runs the world's largest ambulance network,[8] along with homeless shelters, animal shelters,[9] rehabilitation centres, and orphanages across Pakistan.

[10] Edhi's charitable activities expanded greatly in 1957 when an Asian flu epidemic originating in China swept through Pakistan and the rest of the world.

Over his lifetime, the Edhi Foundation expanded, backed entirely by private donations from Pakistani citizens across class, which included establishing a network of 1,800 ambulances.

[13] Edhi maintained a hands-off management style and was often critical of the corruption commonly found within the religious organizations, clergy and politicians.

[6] Edhi was known for his ascetic lifestyle, owning only two pairs of clothes, never taking salary from his organization, and living in one room with kitchenette at the Foundation's headquarters in the heart of Karachi.

[28] Widely regarded and respected as a guardian and savior for the poor, Edhi began receiving numerous donations which allowed him to expand his services.

[29] It also runs more than 330 welfare centres throughout rural and urban Pakistan that operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for abandoned women and children, and clinics for the mentally and physically challenged.

[30] The Edhi Foundation is funded entirely by private donations and full services are offered to people irrespective of ethnicity, religion or status.

[35] In 2014, the foundation was targeted and robbed of approximately US$500,000 and has been the victim of right-wing attacks and competition from Pakistan's militant far-right[36] In the early 1980s, Edhi was arrested by Israeli troops while he was entering Lebanon.

In January 2008, U.S. immigration officials at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City investigated him for over eight hours after seizing his passport and other documents.

[43] Prime Minister Sharif declared national mourning on the day following Edhi's death and announced a state funeral for him.

[44] The attendees at his Janazah (Islamic funeral prayer) included dignitaries such as Mamnoon Hussain (President of Pakistan), Raza Rabbani (Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan), Ishratul Ibad (Governor of Sindh), Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Shehbaz Sharif (the Chief Ministers of Sindh and Punjab, respectively), Raheel Sharif (Chief of Army Staff) along with Muhammad Zakaullah and Sohail Aman (the Chiefs of Staff of the Pakistani Navy and Air Force), at the National Stadium, Karachi.

[45][46] Prominent Pakistani figures such as Maulana Tariq Jamil[47] and Pakistani−Canadian Sheikh Faraz Rabbani[48] often expressed their strong support for Edhi and his work.

[68] In 2011, then-Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani recommended Edhi for a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) Steve Inskeep (October 2011), Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi.

In: What Matters: The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict Essential Issues of Our Time edited by David Elliot Cohen.

[74] Peter Oborne (2011), Pakistan: Defenders of Karachi (Channel 4, April 2011, directed by Edward Watts, Quicksilver Media).