KARACHI: The social activist Sarim Burney has sent to jail on judicial remand.
The judicial magistrate (East) of Karachi’s city court has rejected the investigating officer’s request to extend the remand of social activist Sarim Burney and instead ordered that he be sent to jail on judicial remand.
The court noted that a bail application has also been filed on behalf of the suspect. The court then instructed the investigating officer to record the statement of the suspect in the presence of the lawyers. The judge ordered that Burney’s statement be recorded immediately in the judge’s chamber and temporarily adjourned the hearing.
Burney’s lawyer expressed concerns over potential mistreatment if the remand were extended, stating, “If further remand is granted, Sarim Burney will be violently treated.” The court questioned Burney about allegedly making false statements despite knowing the girl’s parents were alive. Burney responded, “I did not know that the real parents are alive.”
The case, presented by the FIA, involves accusations of human trafficking, fraud, and deception. According to the FIA, Afsheen, Haya’s mother, sold her to a woman named Madiha, who subsequently sold the girl to another woman named Bushra. The FIA’s lawyer stated that the Sarim Burney Trust declared the girl an orphan in family court, but Burney has not been cooperating with the investigation.
