The Power of Constructive Work

THE POWER OF CONSTRUCTIVE WORK I n May 1990, gunfire erupted on a street in Karachi. Shots were being fired from both sides. People were being wounded, and bodies lay on the ground. Muhajirs and Sindhis were exchanging fire with Kalashnikov rifles. Even the police, terrified, had withdrawn. Suddenly, the sound of a siren broke through the chaos. An ambulance sped onto the street. As soon as it appeared, both sides stopped shooting. The ambulance pulled up, and its staff lifted the dead and injured into the vehicle. During this entire process, the fighting paused. But once the ambulance drove away, the same people resumed firing as though they were sworn enemies. This was the work of Abdul Sattar Edhi (1928-2016) of Karachi. Through 30 years of selfless service, he had earned such respect that wherever he went, even rioters and terrorists bowed before him. Edhi’s formal education ended after the sixth grade. In 1947, he migrated from Junagadh to Pakistan, where he took up small jobs to make a living. Soon, he noticed how weak the ambulance system was in Pakistan. His spirit of service grew stronger. With loans and donations, he bought an old truck, covered it with cloth, and began using it as an ambulance.