Pakistan's organ trafficking network operates under state oversight: Report

Islamabad, Aug 26 (IANS) Pakistan’s organ trafficking racket is operating openly, under the “very nose of the state” with surgeons, nurses, and anesthetists implicated in these crimes, turning spaces meant for healing into hubs of exploitation, a report cited on Tuesday.

It stated that the involvement of medical professionals exposes a systemic failure in oversight by health authorities and regulatory bodies, tasked with monitoring, investigating, and preventing such abuses.

“The harrowing rescue of a young man in a Bahria Town house in Rawalpindi, bound to a stretcher and moments away from having his kidney removed, should have been unimaginable in 2025. Yet, it is a grim reality. This incident marked the second bust of its kind in the city in a single week, laying bare a terrifying truth: Pakistan’s organ trafficking industry is flourishing openly, under the very nose of the state,” the ‘Islam Khabar’ report detailed.

According to the report, the Pakistani government passed the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA) 15 years ago, aimed to prevent the exploitation of the poor and regulate the transplant industry.

However, it said, 15 years later, the law is largely ineffective, existing only on paper. In practice, advanced organ trafficking networks in affluent housing societies, equipped with medical instruments, anaesthetic supplies, and qualified surgeons, operate undetected.

“The audacity of these operations reflects not only the profitability of the illegal trade but also the glaring gaps in regulatory enforcement. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of these incidents is the repeated involvement of medical professionals—the very individuals sworn to preserve life. That such professionals can so blatantly participate in criminal activity suggests either an alarming level of negligence or complicity within the system,” the report emphasised.

“Repeated incidents, such as the two busts in Rawalpindi within a single week, demonstrate a disturbing pattern. These are not isolated events but symptoms of an entrenched problem. The continuation of these crimes suggests a level of normalisation, where organ trafficking can occur with regularity, and victims are rescued only when chance—or public outcry—intervenes,” it added

The report asserted that the organ trafficking racket thrives amid systemic incompetence and a lack of accountability, exploiting the vulnerabilities of society. Moreover, the participation of healthcare professionals raises ethical questions that go beyond the reach of law.

“Pakistan’s organ trafficking industry represents more than a criminal phenomenon — it is a mirror reflecting the state’s persistent inability to protect its citizens from exploitation. Laws exist but are unenforced. Regulatory bodies exist but fail to act. Medical professionals, who should be protectors of life, are implicated in atrocities,” it noted.

--IANS

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