Sarim Burney’s Bail Plea Rejected in Child Trafficking Case
The rights activist faces allegations of illegally aiding the adoption of over 25 children in the US.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected the bail plea of rights activist Sarim Burney in a high-profile case involving human trafficking and document tampering.
The allegations against Burney include illegally aiding the adoption of over 25 Pakistani children in the United States. This decision follows a complaint from the US government, which led to Burney’s arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in June 2024 upon his return from the US.
He is accused of arranging illegal adoptions through his trust, with charges under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018.
The defence argued that no forgery was committed and questioned why an FIR was lodged so late if the case dates back to 2019.
Prosecutors claimed that names of trafficked children were altered in official records, though the defence maintained they had no documents verifying original names.
This is not Burney’s first bail rejection; previous applications were also denied by lower courts due to concerns about evidence tampering and ongoing investigations.
In November 2024, the FIA charged Burney, his wife Aliya Naheed Malik, and others with multiple offences under the Pakistan Penal Code, including Sections 420 (cheating and dishonest inducement of property transfer), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 201 (tampering with evidence), and 109 (abetment).
Additionally, they were charged under the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018, covering Sections 3 (human trafficking), 4 (aggravating circumstances), and 5 (abetment and criminal conspiracy). The final charge sheet resulted in a non-bailable arrest warrant for his wife.
