IHC grants bail to Quaid-i-Azam Hospital CEO in illegal organ transplant case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted post-arrest bail to Dr Shaukat Ali Bangash, CEO of Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital (QIH), in an illegal human organ transplantation case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday. Justice Mohammad Azam Khan issued a written order and ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court and also barred him from leaving Pakistan. According to the prosecution, the FIR was lodged following a complaint by Syed Shah Faisal, Assistant Director (Admin)/Monitoring Officer of the Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA), Islamabad. Acting on information about an illegal kidney transplant at QIH, a joint raid was conducted by HOTA and FIA on May 19, 2026. During the raid, the team allegedly found an illegal and unrelated kidney transplant in progress involving a recipient, Shakeel, and a donor, Waseem Akram. Dr Nadir Hussain, a urologist, and Syed Adeel Haider (also known as Adeel Shirazi), the hospital's transplant coordinator, were apprehended on the spot. An amount of Rs12,94,000 was recovered from the drawer of Dr Nadir's office, said to have been paid for the surgery. One Saleem, reportedly a personal assistant to Dr Nadir, was named as an absconder operating an organised network for illegal kidney transplants. Advocate Raja Ikram Ameen Minhas, counsel for the petitioner, argued that Dr Bangash had been falsely implicated. He said the petitioner was neither nominated in any statement recorded under Sections 161 or 164 of CrPC nor named in the FIR. His name was subsequently introduced through a Zimni/case diary entry. He said both the donor and recipient had submitted affidavits before a magistrate, adding the donation was without monetary benefit. Referring to Section 13 of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 2010, Mr Minhas said there was no evidence that the petitioner failed to exercise due diligence to prevent the alleged offence. The assistant attorney general opposed the bail application, contending that Dr Bangash was in charge of and responsible for the hospital's affairs and compliance with the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 2010. Therefore, Section 13 of the Act prima facie attracts vicarious liability. Reporter: Ehtesham Kiyani