Kidney trade

A case against two doctors has been registered in Chaklala, near Rawalpindi, involving the forced removal of a labourer's kidney — once again uncovering the horrifying reality of Pakistan's underground organ trade. This practice, now quite literally a thriving business, continues despite being an open secret for years. It is well known to the public, the medical community and even law enforcement, yet it is met with little more than sporadic crackdowns and no sustained, meaningful action.

The current victim was deceived with a job offer and allegedly drugged. He woke up five days later in pain, which led him to a hospital and the discovery of a missing kidney. This crime is unfortunately not an anomaly, despite its absurdity. In 2017, authorities had dismantled a kidney trade racket in Lahore where six people, including two doctors, were arrested after performing unauthorised surgeries in a private house. Among the patients were foreign nationals who had paid millions for organs sourced from impoverished Pakistanis.

This black market thrives on poverty, desperation and institutional neglect. Victims are often poor labourers, easy targets for traffickers who exploit their vulnerability. Illegal surgeries carried out in unsanitary backrooms endanger lives, leaving victims with lifelong complications and trauma. Despite Pakistan's Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (2010), enforcement remains weak. Corruption, lack of oversight of private clinics and lenient to no punishment have allowed this trade to flourish unchecked.

Authorities must act decisively: strengthen laws, conduct routine audits of transplant clinics, prosecute complicit medical staff and launch awareness campaigns to protect vulnerable citizens. The Chaklala case is a brutal reminder that human life is being traded like merchandise. Until the state treats this crime with the urgency it deserves, the business of human organs will continue to thrive in the shadows and will continue to prey on the poorest among us.