Adil Najam
My posts over the last few days have all been designed to build up to this (here, here and here).
Irrespective of whether Abdul Sattar Edhi is a Pakistani or not, irrespective of how much most Pakistanis hold his selfless zeal in reverence – and irrespective also of all the ways in which a few have tried to malign him – I believe that Abdul Sattar Edhi deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. I need your help in putting together a nominations package.
I do not wish to make this a nationalistic thing. He would not like that. For me it is a humanistic thing. As he has made clear again and again, humanism and humanitarianism is more important than everything else; certainly it is bigger than nationalism.
Here is a man who has dedicated his whole life to serving the most marginalized and the most wretched in society. The destitutes, the mentally ill, corpses left by the roadside, children abandoned at his doorsteps, women kicked out by their families. When there is no one to go to, there is always Edhi Sahib to go to.
As importantly, he has done this – in his words – ‘wholesale’. He has single handedly built – literally by begging – a social services structure at a national scale. Bigger than what governments have. He has never taken a ruppee as salary himself. He lives in a two room apartment that most middle class Pakistanis would not call home and he oversees the largest ambulance network in the world, now with airplanes and helicopters, a multi-million dollar enterprise of relief, of goodwill, and of humanitarianism. If he does not deserve the Nobel Award, I do not know who does.
As I had mentioned in the last post, the Edhi Foundation is collecting signatures on a petition that he be given the Nobel Award. I like other bloggers (here, here, and here) would urge you to sign that petition and join the thousands others who already have.
But I think we can do a little more. Here is how.
I checked out the website of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee and looked at their nominations procedure. It is not clear whether they accept petitions or not, but it turns out that they do have categories of individuals who can make nominations (which are due by February 1). One of those categories is “university professors of social science, history, philosophy, law and theology.” I am not sure if I have much standing with them, but I fit into that category, and therefore I believe I have the ability to formally send in a nomination, and I plan to write in a nomination letter over the next few days.
What I would like to do, then, is to ask you all to write your own testimonials to why Abdul Sattar Edhi deserves a Nobel Award in the comments section. We want to gather as many testimonials/comments as possible.
Personal stories and examples of how he touches people’s lives and meets the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize are especially useful.
So let me please request you for your help. If you agree with me that Abdul Sattar Edhi deserves a Nobel Peace Prize:
- Please leave a testimonial in the comments section saying that he deserved the award why you believe that Abdul Sattar Edhi deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
- Please email this post to your friends and ask them to do the same.
- If you are a blogger, please spread the word on your blogs and to your readers and ask those who agree with my proposition to leave a testimonial.
And to meet the deadline we need to do all of this in the next few days. I have no pretensions that a letter from one professor will do the trick. But since I have this ability, I want to at least give it a shot. At least we would be able to say, we tried.
What do you say, folks?
presently edhi is only deserving person for nobel prize in paksitan. gud suggestion i second
To many people in Pakistan life and hope are synonymous. I remember from my early days in Pakistan how Edhi was the only national emergency relief network operated mostly by volunteers and extremely dedicated staff.
The Edhi network is the world largest volunteer ambulance network which are radio linked to even the remotest parts of Pakistan. Edhi has been helping victims of floods, earthquake, fire, crime, disease and has centers for abandoned child care, orphans, widows and those whose life may in danger for over half a century. The organization’s endless work since 1948 speaks for itself.
I find it extremely hypocritical on part of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to award the Nobel Prize to people such as 14th Dalai Lama (1989) or Shimon Peres(1994) whose works have neither been of such high magnitude as Edhi’s and have at times been controversial and at the same time totally disregard one person who has been working non stop since 1948, for a time period greater than either Mohammad Yunus (2006) or Jimmy Carter (2002) and has a much greater impact than Mother Teresa(1979) or Kim Dae-jung (2000).
It’s about time to recognize the greatness of this man.
Mr. Edhi deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. He is a well deserved person with so much social service he has done.
His achievements are remarkably acknowledged not only by the people in Pakistan but also at regional and global level. What distinguishes him from the other individuals and organizations in the field of social work and social services is the innovation of new model which includes passion, dedication, commitment and stern belief to bring changes in the livelihoods of poor, oppressed, helpless and hopeless.
I am in favour of this proposal that This saintly man should be awarded the Nobel Prize as the other who have been awarded for social services have contributed much less than Mr Edhi.
Perhaps I would go bit further than the NP Award and would like to see him as a President of Pakisan.
He will only need the best and honest advisors like him, as all others do and the Country would be better`ruled and evenly ditrbuted for good goverance. All present and past Dictators and Ruler have failed the citizens and it is time we make a change 180 degrees for the best. We get the Bhais, Chaudhries and all Toms, Dicks and Harries out of the Pakistan arteries.
I HAVE JUST WRITTEN A POEM ‘HAZAR IMAM THIS IS IN HONOUR OF EDHI FOUNDATION’
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST BENEFICIENT, THE MOST MERCIFUL
“I had accepted at the outset that charity was distorted and completely unrelated to its original concept. Reverting to the ideal was like diverting an ocean of wild waters. Another major obstacle in the promotion of welfare was exposed…the disgust of man towards mankind. There was only one expression, one reaction from everyone…cringing.”
Abdul Sitar Edhi
HAZAR IMAM THIS IS IN HONOUR OF EDHI FOUNDATION
DEAR LORD
I HAVE FOUND YOU
DEAR LORD
HAZAR IMAM
OPENED THE DOOR
AND LET ME IN
DEAR LORD
HAZAR IMAM
REMINDED ME
MY DAY ON EARTH
CONFUSED WITH HAZAR IMAM THIS IS IN HONOUR OF EDHI FOUNDATION
DEAR LORD
HAZAR IMAM
SAID READ
HAZAR IMAM THIS IS IN HONOUR OF EDHI FOUNDATION
EDHI
E=EDHI IS A NOBLE PERSON LIKE MOTHER TERESA IN CALCUTTA
D=DEVOTED HE IS TO PEOPLE IN KARACHI WITH NO HOPE
H=HOW CAN HE SEE ANY HUMAN SOUL SUFFER
I=IMPORTANT HUGGS FOR SOULS LEFT ALONE IS EDHI
FOUNDATION
F=FOR A POOR MAN