Sarim Burney sent to prison after FIA's request for extension of detention rejected – Pakistan

KARACHI: Rejecting Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) request to extend remand, a judicial magistrate on Saturday sent social worker Sarim Burney to jail on remand in a case of 'trafficking of children by illegal adoption », which was registered after a complaint from the American authorities.

Officer Bilal Ahmed took Mr. Burney before Judicial Magistrate (East) Khaliqul Zaman, after completing the first remand and sought an extension for further interrogation.

The IO informed the court that Mr Burney's interrogation was incomplete and that they needed more time to retrieve the remaining crucial files relating to children adopted by families overseas based on information from the suspicious.

He also claimed that Mr. Burney had failed to provide records, adding that “statements under Section 161 of the CrPC of the prosecution witnesses and other relevant persons should be recorded.”

Defense lawyer says social worker was falsely implicated in child trafficking case

Meanwhile, the FIA ​​lawyer informed the court that Mr Burney had failed to co-operate with the investigating agency and failed to provide satisfactory answers to questions put to him.

The lawyer also requested an additional week of pretrial detention to review records requested from U.S. digital, financial and intelligence sources.

The FIA ​​lawyer also cited the case mentioned in the FIR, saying that the child, who was declared unclaimed in the family court, was allegedly sold by her mother Afsheen to another person.

According to the FIR: “Based on the oral testimony of Madiha, Bushra (Bushra had made this statement to M/s Sarim Burney Trust which was later produced to the FIA ​​by Humaira Naz) and the statement of Afsheen Muhammad Ali (the biological/real mother of the baby) that the said little girl is Afsheen's real daughter [who] is a resident of Yaroo town Goth Surjani, who sold her baby to Bushra through Madiha for Rs 350,000 (the agreement to purchase the said baby was made between Madiha and Bushra for Rs 600,000, however, Afsheen received an amount of Rs 350,000 from Madiha). The said baby girl was adopted under the guise of purchase by Bushra Ayaz and Ayaz Khan through Madiha without Danish Ali who runs/operates an ultrasound/maternity clinic at Yousuf Goth, Surjani town.

The attorney also claimed the trust collected $3,000 from an adoptive family when presenting the receipt to the court. The court asked the defense lawyer if he had received this amount, to which the lawyer replied that the amount had been collected as “legal fees”.

In response to the allegations against Mr Burney, his legal team, including lawyers Aamir Nawaz Warraich, Aijaz Hussain Khatak and Muhammad Nawaz Dahri, denied the allegations and claimed that the FIA ​​had falsely implicated their client in the matter.

Barrister Warraich told the court his client was prepared to make his statement and cooperate with the IO if appropriate questions were asked.

The court then ordered the IO to record Mr Burney's statement.

After resuming proceedings, the court announced that it had rejected the IO's application and remanded Mr Burney in judicial custody.

Published in Dawn, June 9, 2024