The first PhD at the Edhi Home Dies!

[Shimatoree]

KARACHI: One of Pakistan’s first few women to earn a PhD, BB Qureshi, passed away in her sleep on Wednesday morning. Qureshi, who caused a bit of a stir after she moved into the Edhi centre rather than live with her family, was 89.
Born into an educated family in Muradabad, India in 1922, she went to Aligarh Muslim University to pursue her BA and an MA in Economics. Not completely satisfied, she went to Trinity College in Dublin and completed a PhD in agricultural economics before returning to Islamabad.
Years teaching
Education being her first love, Qureshi remained single her whole life. After partition, her family moved to Rawalpindi where Qureshi taught economics at a government college. She taught for several years in Africa and claimed the honour of having taught the former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, in Ghana.
When she finally returned to Islamabad after years of teaching abroad, she was so disappointed at the standard of education that she decided not to teach anymore.
Time at Edhi
Upon returning to Islamabad, she was not only unhappy with the standard of education but also the way her brother treated her and decided to shift.
As a result, she ended up in Karachi and decided to live at the Edhi shelter for homeless women in North Karachi. Humble as always, she chose to share a room with women with special needs and psychiatric illnesses, rather than live separately.
“This is my home. I am happy to be here,” she told the media in an interview a while back. Even the Sindh governor, Ishratul Ebad, offered Qureshi to stay at his house, but she refused. Last December, however, her relatives living in Karachi forced her to move in with them.
A representative of the centre, Dr Farhana Jawaid told The Express Tribune that Qureshi returned to the centre this February and vowed that she would not to go back. “She wanted to be independent and not become a financial burden on anyone, not even her family,” said Jawaid. She added that she was a jolly figure, always smiling and mingled with everyone. She was, however, bedridden for the past month and was surviving on liquids.
According to officials at the Edhi home, the woman was so disheartened by her family that she did not want them to have her body and wished to be buried at the Edhi graveyard. An Edhi spokesperson, Anwar Kazmi, said that her burial would take place on Thursday. “Since she was a prominent figure, proper arrangements will be made for her funeral.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2012.

[Khan_Sahib]

What an Ironic end of this intelligent woman. Perhaps, her only fault was that she chose to educate others then just getting married and have a family. Not everyone can realize the misery of loneliness of single women and the ultimate end of dying alone. Having said that, having family is not a guarantee that you will end up dying between loved ones these days, as what ever Allah has decided for you will take it's course. (Though it's not a norm to be alone if you are married and have family)

Coming back to her being the first PhD which the newspapers are focusing more rather then discussing her actual contribution to thousands of students and the way our society has treated her including her loved ones. Unfortunately, teaching is the most unwanted job in our country and usually people from lower socio-economical class will test these hot waters. Also, will I be wrong to say that she did her PhD when she was an indian citizen? (she was ? 25 when Pakistan appeared on the map of the earth and she didn't migrated straight away??) so why are we so quick to put this feather in our cap?

Pakistani education system is in shreds from a long time just like our political institutes. More worryingly our joint - extended family system is now dying and we all have become too much materialistic. The way her family treated her is a reflection of our crippled society.

Her demise only tells us about the slow death of our values along with the misery of a common teacher. May Allah rest her troubled soul in peace and shower her with his blessings.

[Pakistani47]

Sad isn't it. Our mindset as is not to acknowledge their achievements treasuring them as models following their teachings. The worst is we don't feel shy or shame in paying homage to their graves when they are no more acknowledging their deeds only when they have moved forward to another life in another world.