ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate on Friday gave suspected members of an alleged illegal kidney transplants racket in the custody of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for four days. They were arrested on Thursday.
Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi passed the order after FIA officials produced them before the court and sought their physical remand for further investigation.
During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the suspects should not only be acquitted but also rewarded, claiming that they had successfully treated hundreds of people through the procedures in question.
The court questioned one of the suspects about his role in the alleged illegal surgeries and his educational qualifications.
“Who performed the surgeries? What is your educational qualification?” the magistrate asked.
The suspect replied that he had completed his matriculation.
“A matriculate performs surgeries, and the patients actually recover?” the judge remarked.
The defence counsel maintained that the suspects deserved recognition for saving people’s lives, rather than facing criminal proceedings.
FIA officials on the other hand sought seven-day physical remand, telling the court that further custody was required to arrest other individuals allegedly linked to the suspects.
When the court asked the agency to explain the need for the remand, the officials said they needed to trace and apprehend other people involved in the alleged illegal transplant network.
After hearing the arguments, the court granted the FIA four-day physical remand and directed the officials to produce the suspects again upon completion of the remand period.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026
