Karachi court rejects extension of Sarim Burney's remand in human trafficking case

The Judicial Magistrate (East) of the Karachi Municipal Court on Saturday rejected the extension of the remand application of social activist Sarim Burney.

The magistrate instead ordered his placement in prison on remand in a major case of human trafficking, fraud and cheating.

The court scheduled Burney's bail hearing for June 10, amid arguments from his lawyer, who claimed he contacted the family of the girl involved, alleging they intentionally betrayed her.

Burney's legal counsel claimed that Afsheen, the mother of the girl known as Haya, sold her to a woman named Madiha, who then sold her to another woman named Bushra.

The FIA ​​lawyer claimed that the Sarim Burney Trust had represented the girl as an orphan in the family court, but noted that Burney had not cooperated with the ongoing investigation.

Additionally, Burney's attorney expressed concerns about possible mistreatment if pretrial detention was extended, emphasizing Burney's cooperation and lack of knowledge of the girl's true parents.

During the proceedings, Burney said he had evidence on his cell phone and vowed to provide answers when he returned, denying any wrongdoing in the documents and attributing any discrepancies to human error.

The court asked the investigator to record Burney's statement in the presence of his lawyers, emphasizing transparency and due process.

In a conversation with the media, Burney criticized the FIA ​​for its unclear position and urged not to spread unverified information, alleging punishment for the operation of its system.

“I don’t believe there was an error in the documents. Human error is not a crime,” Burney remarked.

The court ordered that Burney be re-presented after completing his remand and requested a progress report from the FIA, emphasizing the importance of transparency as the case unfolds.