SC seeks report on kidney sale cases

Published June 21, 2006

ISLAMABAD, June 20: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Bahawalpur police to submit a complete report on rising trend of sale of human organs when it was told that 30 cases of kidney sale had been reported in Yazman village of the district alone.

The three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad while hearing a complaint of Mohammad Amjad, 22, expressed concern over the state of affairs and resolved to pass appropriate orders after the receipt of the report.

“This is a very serious crime and we may pass appropriate order against this heinous business at a later stage,” the chief justice observed.

The petitioner had complained that one of his kidneys was forcibly removed by members of a mafia during his operation in a Rawalpindi hospital.

Superintendent police (investigation), Bahawalpur, Mohammad Aleem was directed to investigate the matter and submit a report on allegations of rise in the sale of human organs in the village.

A first information report (FIR) has already been lodged on the complaint of Amjad against four accused — Mohammad Ramzan, Shahzad, Ishaque and Nawaz.

However, the SP informed the court that except Nawaz all the three accused had been arrested. But Amjad’s father alleged that the area police were pressuring him to withdraw the case. A counter FIR has also been registered against him, he said.

The court also ordered the sessions judge Bahawalpur to try the case and dispose it of within three months by identifying the culprits.

The sessions judge was also directed to investigate the charges against DSP Yazman, Rana Azam and SHO of the area for harassing the petitioner.

Assistant advocate general Punjab Khadim Hussain, however, maintained that Amjad had sold his kidney at his own will but was complaining perhaps because he was not given the promised price for the organ.