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# India-Pakistan Tensions

Bilquis Bano Edhi- ‘Mother of orphans’ passed away

Bilquis Edhi adopted an Indian girl Geeta, who was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at the Lahore railway station when she was just seven or eight years old. Geeta was later brought to India from Pakistan back in 2015.

SNS | New Delhi | April 16, 2022 4:52 pm

Bilquis Bano Edhi- ‘Mother of orphans’ passed away

Geeta (L) receives a kissed on her hand by Bilquis Edhi at Bilquis Edhi Foundation in Karachi, Pakistan, October 25, 2015. Geeta, a Hindu deaf-mute woman now in her early 20s, will depart for New Delhi, tomorrow early morning. Geeta was around 11 years old when she inadvertently crossed the border from India to Pakistan, and lost her family. Since stumbling into Pakistan, Geeta has lived in a home for lost and abandoned children, say officials at the charitable Edhi Foundation. Her long search for her family has captivated the public after a hit film with a similar plot was released, and a Pakistani court said that the two nations should resolve the issue diplomatically. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro - GF20000032185

Bilquis Bano Edhi passed away at the age of 74 after a brief hospitalisation. She was admitted to a hospital in Karachi for three days and was rushed there after her blood pressure had suddenly dropped.

A professional nurse, Bilquis was called the ‘Mother of Pakistan’. Her charity saved thousands of unwanted babies by placing jhoolas (cradles) at Edhi Homes and centres across the country.

She was felicitated with various national and foreign awards including the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice (2015), and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, which she received along with her husband in 1986, according to the media outlet.

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The Indian embassy in Pakistan on Saturday also expressed condolences on the passing away of philanthropist and humanitarian Bilquis Bano Edhi in Karachi. “High Commission of India expresses its heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Bilquis Edhi. Hers and Edhi foundation’s humanitarian assistance is well appreciated across borders. RIP,” tweeted the Indian embassy.

Bilquis Edhi, the founder of Edhi Foundation, a social welfare organization in Pakistan, adopted the specially-abled Indian girl Geeta, who was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at the Lahore railway station when she was just seven or eight years old. Geeta was later brought to India from Pakistan back in 2015.

She was felicitated with various national and foreign awards including the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice (2015), and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, which she received along with her husband in 1986, according to the media outlet.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi, and former premier Imran Khan, among others, expressed grief on the demise of Bilquis Bano Edhi.

Inputs from ANI

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