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Pakistan’s ‘Mother Teresa’ laid to rest with state honor

August 19, 2017

KARACHI, Pakistan — Mourners on Saturday attended a state funeral for Ruth Pfau, a German physician and nun who earned international acclaim as “Pakistan's Mother Theresa” by devoting her life to the eradication of leprosy in the Muslim-majority nation.

Pfau died on Aug. 10 at age 87 in the southern port city of Karachi. State-run television broadcast live footage of her casket being carried by a military guard at the city’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Hundreds of people attended the service at the cathedral, including members of civil society and diplomats. She was later buried in a nearby cemetery, in a funeral attended by President Mamnoon Hussain, army chief Gen. Qamar Javed, senior government officials and Muslim religious scholars.

This was the second state funeral to have taken place in Pakistan over the past 29 years, with the last one accorded last year to late philanthropist and renowned humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi.

Martha Fernando, who worked with Pfau at her Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center, said the German physician’s death was a great loss to humanity. “There is no one like her and there won’t be any replacement to her. We pray to God to send people like her again to this world so that they could continue serving people,” she said.

Pakistan suffered high rates of leprosy up until the mid-1990s. Pfau played a key role in efforts to bring the disease under control.

According to Dawn, Pakistan’s leading English daily, chief minister of Pakistan’s Sindh province, Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, announced the renaming of Civil Hospital Karachi after Dr. Ruth Pfau following the state funeral.

“Dr. Pfau was the pride of Sindh and the pride of Pakistan,” Shah said.

He directed the chief secretary to issue a notification regarding the change of the hospital’s name to Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital.

Dr. Pfau, who was German by birth, had been sent to Pakistan in 1960 by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary — a congregation of nuns that she was a member of — for a medical service for students.

After witnessing the plight of leprosy patients, she decided to settle here. She was granted Pakistani citizenship in 1988.

In 1979, she was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian award of the country. In 1989, Dr. Pfau was presented the Hilal-i-Pakistan for her services.

Due to Dr. Pfau’s persistent and selfless efforts, Pakistan was declared “leprosy-free” in 1996 by the World Health Organization. — Agencies


August 19, 2017
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