C OVER STORY
ues to live without access to proper sewerage or sanitation. Approximately half the population continues to experience multi-dimensional poverty, and many millions of
people live without easy access to adequate healthcare
and educational facilities. The list goes on and on, with
the only constants being stagnant social indicators buttressed by progressively declining public investment in
these areas. It is not difficult to identify the structural factors that underpin the state’s insouciance when it comes
to the welfare of the citizens of Pakistan. The economic
imperatives of a security state, emphasising the maintenance of relatively high levels of defence expenditure,
have combined with the empowerment of a predatory
and rapacious political elite to create a situation in which
the priorities of the government have historically been
skewed towards securing the interests of the military
while also facilitating continued rent-seeking by those in
power. The weakness of electoral accountability – largely due to repeated episodes of authoritarian rule and the
not unrelated development of patronage politics – has
ensured the maintenance of the status quo, with few options available for the people to have their voices heard.
Most observers would agree that people like Edhi are
difficult, if not virtually impossible, to replace. The sheer
scale of his work is unparalleled, and is likely to remain
so for some time to come. Yet, working
as an ultimately private entity, there were
limits to what the Edhi Foundation could
achieve. For every intervention his organization made, there were undoubtedly
many more that could not be made. This
is not meant as a criticism of Edhi and his
efforts; he did more than could be reasonably expected from someone in his position, and the countless lives he saved and
bettered speak for themselves. Instead, it
is just meant to highlight that ultimately, it
is the responsibility of the state, with all of
the infrastructural and financial power at its
disposal, to look after its citizens. Philanthropy, while admirable and welcome, can
never be a replacement for effective public
policy. Indeed, when the British journalist
Peter Oborne once asked Edhi about his
thoughts on the future, he said, ‘Unless
things change, I predict a revolution’. Edhi
himself recognised that without fundamental reform of the state and its institutions,
and the radical reorientation of society towards a model predicated on providing for
the needs of the many rather than the few,
the status quo would be unsustainable. In
death, Edhi has been co-opted by individuals and organisations from across the political spectrum, all of whom have sought
to portray him as one of their own. Indeed,
it is disgusting to see political parties that
reportedly tried to extort him now sing his
praises, just as it is nauseating to witness
religious organisations (some with their
own ‘welfare’ wings) claim him as a kindred
spirit after spending years calling him an
infidel his personal lack of religious fervour.
As Edhi’s own pronouncements repeatedly
made clear, however, he saw himself as
nothing more than a champion of the poor,
with his belief in a shared humanity trumping religious, sectarian, and ethnic differences. While
it is right and proper to honour Edhi for his charitable
works, it is also important to learn from, and celebrate,
his humanistic message of peace and harmony.
9 | BOOM