ORGAN vending rarely leaves the spotlight. The FIA and the Human Organ Transplantation Authority recently took five suspects into custody for their involvement in unlawful renal transplants at a residential location in Islamabad. The network comprisedagents, a doctor, a nurse, and a laboratory facilitator, among others. Tests were run with fake referrals and false family names. Reportedly, the gang’s transplant scams extended to Peshawar. The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, enacted to end the abuse of the vulnerable for a hefty profit, is over a decade old. Sadly, the laxity in the criminal justice system not only continues to feed odious rackets of this sort with all the necessary equipment and facilitation, it has also rendered the law ineffective.

Clamping down on organ trade rings involves plugging the loopholes, which include the health authorities’ failure to enforce controls. All chapters of Hota in the country are as much to be blamed as the corrupt medics. The authority’s failure to ensure legalised transplants and screened donors, combined with a lack of vigilance in spotting dubious practices, brings Pakistan close to becoming an organ sale hub once again. Medics found complicit must face lifelong bans, and public and private venues of such crimes should be sealed. The courts, too, should address the issue with as much strictness as the law allows. Advocacy for cadaver organs and legal transplants must be clear and consistent. In the absence of modern databanks and fast-track courts, security personnel will only lurch from one raid to another without taking effective action. To dismantle a global menace, an international partnership plan consisting of security agencies and health officials is crucial. Law enforcers should be aware of the latest protocols to stay ahead of their game. A fragile economy is fertile ground for despair and poverty — the lifeblood of dehumanising practices.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026