SHC directs FIA to secure 10-year data of orphans

KARACHI : The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to visit all the orphanage centres and secure the data of their inmates with regard to their marriages, adoption and death during the last 10 years.

The direction came in a matter pertaining to rights of orphans and homeless children and implementation of orphanage laws.

A single bench of the SHC headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar had on a previous hearing taken notice of reports with regard to non-maintenance of marriage record of girls at orphanages and directed the FIA Human Trafficking Cell director general to look into all the orphanages with regard to the marriages of orphans and record statements of orphan girls regarding whether their consent was taken before their marriages in order to rule out the possibility of human trafficking.

A counsel for the FIA informed the high court that the agency had registered an inquiry under the anti-human trafficking law and assigned the same to an assistant director FIA to examine the issue of human-trafficking with regard to orphan boys and girls nestled at orphanage centres all over the province. The high court directed the FIA officer to visit all the orphanage centres and secure all data of inmates with regard to their marriages, adoption and death in last 10 years.

The high court observed that if during the inquiry, the officer found commission of any cognisable offense, he shall inform the judicial magistrate concerned and the police for taking legal action in accordance with the law. Regarding the monitoring of orphanages and reunion of abandoned children with their parents, the high court directed the district judges to appoint judicial magistrates for surprise visits to orphanages, houses and schools to record statements of those minors in a situation where they could say their minds with trust. The SHC observed that the magistrates would be competent to direct the police and social welfare department officers concerned to join their proceedings. The additional secretary finance submitted that Rs1 billion had been released in favour of the endowment funds for higher education; however, the same was not invested in any profitable scheme. The additional secretary endowment fund said that such matter was pending for the approval of the board as the principal amount had to be invested in a profitable scheme.