Bail Plea of Sarim Burney Rejected in Human Smuggling and Forgery Case

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate in the east district has denied the bail plea of Sarim Burney, who faces charges of human smuggling and document forgery.

The court had reserved its decision on Burney’s bail application a day earlier. This marks the second rejection of his bail request, and he remains in custody on judicial remand.

Burney, a prominent rights activist, was arrested on June 6th at Karachi Airport at the request of the United States Consulate, following allegations of child trafficking. He is accused of smuggling newborns, including trafficking a baby girl named Haya to the US, who, according to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), was purchased from her parents for Rs1 million.

According to the FIA, Burney has trafficked at least 20 newborns to the US under the guise of adoption over the past year. Of these, 15 were girls. The investigation revealed that Burney’s wife was also listed as a beneficiary in Trust documents linked to the trafficking operation.

The FIA stated that these children’s records were obtained from the Pakistan embassy, and multiple individuals were involved in assisting Burney in the smuggling operation. Haya’s parents, described as extremely poor, have provided statements to the authorities.

The agency further disclosed that additional cases of human trafficking and money laundering are expected to be filed against Burney in the coming days.