The illegal kidney transplant network has now reached the top of a major Islamabad hospital as Federal Investigation Agency held Dr. Shaukat Bangash, CEO and owner of Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital, as investigators probe allegations of an organised operation involving multiple suspects, including a transplant surgeon and coordinator.
With six people already in custody, the case is now widening—and investigators are turning their focus to who else may have been involved.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested Dr. Shaukat Bangash, CEO and owner of Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital, in a major crackdown on an alleged illegal human kidney transplant network.
Dr. Bangash was taken into custody after investigators reportedly linked his name to suspects already arrested in the case. The FIA alleges that he facilitated and managed illegal kidney transplant activities, raising questions about the possible involvement of hospital officials and other individuals.
The agency said six suspects had already been arrested as part of the investigation. Among those detained are kidney transplant surgeon Dr. Nadir and transplant coordinator Adeel Shirazi, who investigators believe were allegedly connected to the suspected network.
The case has also moved through the courts, with the Islamabad High Court rejecting post-arrest bail applications filed by the arrested suspects, according to the FIA.
With the hospital’s top executive now in custody, investigators are widening their probe to determine whether the alleged activities involved other members of the hospital administration or a broader network operating beyond the individuals already arrested.
The FIA said Dr. Bangash will be produced before the relevant court, where the agency is expected to seek physical remand for further investigation.
Kidney Trade in Pakistan
Illegal kidney trading in Pakistan involves networks that exploit poor people by connecting them with recipients willing to pay large sums for transplants.
Authorities have alleged that brokers, recruiters, doctors, transplant coordinators and other facilitators can play different roles in arranging such procedures. In some investigations, officials have also alleged the use of fake medical documents and tissue-matching reports to bypass regulatory requirements.
Investigators have reported cases where donors received only a few hundred thousand rupees, while recipients were allegedly charged millions. A 2026 FIA case, for instance, involved allegations that recipients were charged Rs6 million to Rs10 million.
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