Edhi’s passport returned, gets new Green Card

US Immigration authorities on Wednesday gave Pakistan’s renowned social worker Maulana Abdus Sattar Edhi a new Green Card and returned his Pakistani passport as he prepares to leave for Karachi on Saturday. Edhi’s travel documents were seized when he arrived in New York on Jan. 10 on the ground that his Green Card was an old one and that the charitable trust he heads has to be investigated. The trust has a branch in New York. He was given a Feb 20 date for hearing by the homeland security office. Edhi said he was relieved that his problems have been resolved ahead of that date and he thanked Pakistan Embassy in Washington, the Consulate General in New York and the Foreign Office in Islamabad for helping him. He also expressed his gratitude to Pakistan’s print and electronic media for highlighting his predicament. Officials said Edhi has been advised by the US authorities that when he returns to the United States next time, he must plan for a longer stay to resolve his Green Card issue. Edhi’s new green card is limited to one year.