Sarim Burney seeks bail in ‘human trafficking’ case

Burney was taken into custody on June 5 after landing at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi following his visit to the United States.

Judicial Magistrate Karachi East heard Sarim Burney's plea seeking bail in the human trafficking case. Burney’s lawyer argued that the FIA had made baseless allegations against his client without conducting a proper investigation. He claimed that the toddler had been left at the hospital by the parents themselves and now accusations of receiving Rs3 million are being raised.

The lawyer asserted that the adoption of children follows a specific process and that the FIA had failed to substantiate its allegations. The court has summoned a response from the FIA regarding Burney's bail plea.

FIR Details:
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a first information report (FIR) against rights activist Sarim Burney for allegedly trafficking newborn babies to the United States. The FIR accuses Burney of trafficking a newborn baby, identified as Haya, to the US, alleging she was bought from her parents for Rs1 million.

The FIA claims that Burney trafficked 20 newborns to the US in the past year under the guise of adoption, with 15 of these children being girls. The FIA stated that records of the allegedly trafficked children were provided by the Pakistan embassy and that Burney’s wife was also among the beneficiaries.

According to the FIA, Haya’s parents are extremely poor, and their statements have been recorded. The agency indicated that further cases related to human trafficking and money laundering will be filed against Burney.