Remembered for her services to humanity, ‘The Mother of Pakistan’ Ms. Bilquis Bano Edhi offered quiet refuge to countless abandoned children. A professional nurse by training, she ran maternity clinics and set up cradles outside Edhi Foundation Centers across Pakistan, providing a safe space for unwanted newborns to be left anonymously, saving innocent lives. Ms. Bilquis Bano Edhi made her mark with a tremendous legacy –she headed the Ms. Bilquis Bano Edhi Foundation as well as served as Co-Chair at the Edhi Foundation alongside her husband Mr. Abdul Sattar Edhi, with selfless devotion and incomparable services provided to the downtrodden. For her tremendous contributions, she was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice, Lenin Peace Prize and Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s second highest civilian honor.

Celebrating Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day, FWBL pays tribute to iconic women whose legacies are strongly interwoven in the fabric of the nation’s heritage. Their remarkable achievements, in their own unique way, contribute to who we are as a nation today.