Eight-eight year old Bibi Begum Qureshi takes a trip down memory lane on Friday. – White Star

KARACHI: “Money defines relationships today. But I have no regrets that at this age, I am living at an Edhi home. I look at this phase as another aspect of the independence which I thoroughly enjoyed throughout my life,” says 88-year-old Bibi Begum Qureshi.

Ms Qureshi, who is currently staying at the shelter home for homeless women in North Karachi, holds a doctorate degree in agricultural economics and has the experience of teaching at three foreign universities for many years.

She also claims to have taught the former UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, in Ghana.

Resting on a bed in a large hall, Dr Qureshi doesn't appear to be different from the many destitute women at the shelter home.

But it's only when one starts talking to her that one recognises her graceful personality and realises the irony that sometimes even higher academic qualification can't help when it comes to old age.

“Relations become a burden at an old age if they cannot contribute to family income,” explains Dr Qureshi who can vividly recall the details of her past.

Born in Muradabad in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Dr Qureshi got her bachelors and masters degrees from the Aligarh Muslim University after receiving education from Gokuldas Girls College and Partab Singh High School.

She later went to Ireland where she did her MLitt and PhD from the Trinity College of University of Dublin in 1960. She also had to borrow money to meet her educational expenses there.

“My father had great confidence and trust in me even more than he had in his three sons. He raised me like a boy that helped me grow in life,” she says.

After completing her studies, Dr Qureshi returned to Pakistan and taught at the Government College for Women in Rawalpindi for about five years. She also taught at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; the University of Lusaka, Zambia; and the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

“I spent almost 12 years teaching in Africa. I had a wonderful teaching experience in Ghana where I taught for eight years. Kofi Annan was my student, though not a bright one,” she quips.

According to Dr Qureshi, she was inspired by the speeches of Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah that was a major reason behind her decision to apply for a post in that country. She says she finally met him when he came to listen to her public lecture.

“I enjoyed my life to the fullest and had the opportunity to visit many European countries. However, the country I really liked was China because of the dedication and honesty I saw in its citizens,” she says.

Replying to a question regarding her marriage, Dr Qureshi explains that she remained engaged to her cousin for four years but had to break off the relationship to pursue higher studies.

Disappointed by job offers in the country, she preferred not to work here once she got retired and spent many years at her siblings' place.

She says she prays for the good health of Abdus Sattar Edhi who has provided the best and safest place to the homeless. “It's like my second home.”

“We look after basic needs of destitute women and provide medical support to them,” says the official in charge of the Edhi centre, Dr Naseem Atiq.In her opinion, the most challenging aspect of the job is to see the old longing for home.

“This is painful. But our problem is that we can neither force the families to take their old relations back home nor can we abandon them,” she says, adding that a majority of the women are old and suffering from psychological illnesses.

“When I joined seven years ago, there were 500 women at the shelter. The figure has risen to 1,600 now. This is happening perhaps because we have stopped practising our religion in its true sense,” she believes.

She says it saddened her even more when it emerged that many families had given wrong addresses and phone numbers to the centre to avoid contact and responsibility.

“In this materialistic age, people have lost the quality of being humane. We don't have the time to listen, talk and care for the elderly people who need to be looked after like a child. Families consider it easier to declare their old relatives psychological ill and admit them here,” says Dr Atiq.