Karachi: A young woman in Pakistan has reunited with her family after 17 years, thanks to a combination of facial recognition tools, artificial intelligence and an old missing person report. The development has brought closure to a case that began when she disappeared as a child in Islamabad.

Kiran, who uses only a single name, lost her way in 2008 after stepping out to buy ice cream in her Islamabad neighbourhood. She said, “I was lost and crying. I remember a kind woman took me to the Edhi Centre in Islamabad as I couldn't remember anything.”

A few days later, Bilquis Edhi, the wife of the late Abdul Sattar Edhi who founded the Edhi Foundation, brought her to Karachi. Kiran has lived and grown up at the Abdul Sattar Edhi shelter home under Bilquis’ care since then.

What efforts were made to trace her parents?

Sabah Faisal Edhi, wife of the foundation’s current chairperson Faisal Edhi, explained that many visits were organised to Islamabad to try and locate Kiran’s parents, but none were successful.

Earlier this year, the Foundation reached out to Nabeel Ahmed, a cybersecurity specialist associated with the Safe City Project in Punjab, an initiative launched in 2018 by the provincial government. “We provided him with the latest photographs of Kiran and also whatever little information she could provide of her childhood and neighbourhood,” Sabah said.

How did technology help solve the case?

Nabeel took a strong personal interest in the case. He tracked down an old police report about a missing girl in Islamabad and used AI tools, facial recognition systems and tracking software to locate Kiran’s family.

Soon afterwards, Abdul Majeed, a tailor by profession, travelled to Karachi to bring his daughter home. He said the family had searched for many years without success. “We even published her photo in some newspapers, but no one came forward (to find Kiran).”

Majeed added that he had lost hope of ever seeing his daughter until officials from the Safe City Project contacted him to say they had found her.

How did Kiran respond to the reunion?

While happy to be reunited with her biological family, Kiran expressed mixed emotions. She said, “I am sad to be leaving my family members here. I will always be grateful to Bilquis apa and her other family members for taking such good care of all of us.”

Kiran is now the fifth girl from the Edhi shelter home whose family has been traced through collaboration between the Foundation, police and Safe City Projects across Pakistan.

(PTI inputs)