Lost at 10, found at 27: How AI helped reunite Pakistani woman with family

Earlier this year, the Edhi Foundation sought help from Nabeel Ahmed, a cybersecurity specialist with Punjab’s Safe City Project. “We shared her latest photographs and whatever fragments of childhood memories she had,” said Sabah Faisal Edhi, wife of the Foundation’s chairperson Faisal Edhi.

Ahmed located an old police report of a missing girl from Islamabad and used AI-driven facial recognition and tracking tools to match it with Kiran’s details. The digital trail led him to her family.

Abdul Majeed, a tailor by profession, travelled to Karachi as soon as he received the news. He said the family had searched for years — even publishing her photograph in newspapers — but eventually lost hope. “When officials contacted us saying they had found our daughter, we couldn’t believe it,” he said.

Kiran, while excited to return home, said she would always remain grateful to the Edhi family. “I am sad to leave everyone here. Bilquis apa took such good care of us,” she said.

She is the fifth girl at the Edhi shelter whose family has been traced through collaborations between the foundation, police and Safe City Projects across Pakistan.

(With Inputs from PTI)