In a case raising serious concerns over child protection and regulatory oversight, the Federal Investigation Agency has arrested the chairperson of a private NGO for allegedly sending orphaned children abroad under false pretenses. The arrest was made by the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle after the accused, Mubina Qasim, was denied pre-arrest bail by the court.

The action came following a formal complaint from the US Consulate General in Karachi, which flagged suspicious activity tied to international adoptions facilitated by the NGO, named Hope. Investigators allege that the organization arranged the illegal placement of at least 23 children between 2006 and 2015, sending them to families in countries including the US, UK, Canada, the UAE, and within Pakistan.

Despite operating as a welfare organization, Hope was not registered with the Sindh Social Welfare Department and reportedly had no licensed shelter facility for housing children. The FIR details claims of forged guardianship documents, falsified medical records, and misuse of the US visa system to process these cases. Many of the children were reportedly abandoned near hospitals and taken into the NGO’s custody without formal procedures.

The investigation has further uncovered disturbing allegations of neglect, including inadequate shelter conditions and reports that the children were fed leftover food. Authorities suggest that these conditions may have been deliberately hidden to sustain the NGO’s outward image as a charitable entity.

With Qasim now in custody, the FIA has confirmed the inquiry is ongoing and hinted that more individuals may be implicated as the case unfolds. Officials are examining both the local operations of the NGO and the international networks that may have facilitated these cross-border transfers.