Three Chinese nationals detained in connection with an alleged illegal human organ trade have filed bail petitions at the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The petitions were heard on Friday by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir.
Representing the accused, Barrister Yawar Gardazi argued that similar bail requests in the same case were already pending before a different IHC bench. He requested that the three petitions for Li Geng Chai, Ping Fei Guo, and Wang Bao be transferred to that bench, led by Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, to maintain consistency in judicial proceedings.
Justice Tahir noted that the judge heading the requested bench was currently on summer vacation and that the hearing could be delayed by approximately one month. Nevertheless, the petitioners’ lawyer insisted on transferring the cases to the other bench.
Consequently, Justice Tahir approved the request and directed the case file to be forwarded to the chief justice’s office for a decision on reassigning the matter to another bench.
Previously, a trial court had rejected the three Chinese nationals’ applications for post-arrest bail. They are implicated in a case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Corporate Crime Circle concerning the alleged illegal trade in human organs.
In a significant development, the case originated from a major FIA operation carried out in June 2026, which uncovered an alleged organ trafficking network functioning out of a private hospital in Islamabad. During the raid, the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle, Islamabad Zone, arrested nine suspects, including a prominent urologist and a hospital employee identified as key figures in the racket.
The FIA alleges that illegal kidney transplant surgeries were being performed at the hospital. In addition to the main suspects, several other individuals present at the facility—including alleged kidney donors, recipients, and hospital staff—were also taken into custody as part of the ongoing investigation into the organ trafficking network.
The chief justice’s office will now determine whether the bail petitions should be transferred to another bench for further proceedings.