The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has filed an interim charge sheet in court against Sarim Burney and his organization, Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International. The case revolves around allegations of child trafficking through illegal adoption, brought forward by US authorities.
According to the charge sheet submitted to the Judicial Magistrate East court, Sarim’s trust was found to be unregistered under the Sindh Child Protection Authority. The agency alleges that Sarim, a philanthropist, accepted $3,000 in exchange for a girl and reportedly admitted to this in court.
Additionally, Sarim is accused, along with his associates Basalt Ali Khan and Humaira, of altering children’s names and concealing their true parentage in documents submitted to the family court. Afsheen, identified as the biological mother of one of the children, stated that Sarim was aware of her maternal status.
The charge sheet further alleges that Sarim knew Bushra Kanwal, who allegedly sold a child to someone named Madeeha for financial gain, and Ayaz Khan were not the child’s biological parents. Despite this, Sarim purportedly did not return the child to its biological mother but facilitated its adoption by an American family without the mother’s consent.
The FIA investigation also revealed allegations from Kanwal and Khan against Sarim. The accused, along with his alleged accomplices, are accused of providing false documents and misrepresenting facts to facilitate the trafficking of these children, which were then presented in the family court.
The charge sheet mentions that the accused failed to submit affidavits, and investigations are ongoing. Authorities have yet to apprehend individuals named Naz and Basalat, and further scrutiny is being conducted on documents related to six additional children involved in the case. The final charge sheet is expected to consolidate all details pertaining to this intricate scheme.
