- By Shivangi Sharma
- Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:06 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In an extraordinary story of hope, technology, and humanity, a young Pakistani woman separated from her family for 17 years was finally reunited with her loved ones, thanks to artificial intelligence, facial recognition tools, and the persistence of the Edhi Foundation.
Kiran, who uses only one name, was just 10 years old when she went missing in Islamabad in 2008. She had stepped out of her home to buy ice cream but lost her way and could not remember her address. “I was lost and crying. I remember a kind woman took me to the Edhi Centre in Islamabad because I couldn’t recall anything,” said Kiran, now 27.
A few days after she was found by Bilquis Edhi, wife of the late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and brought Kiran to Karachi. There, she grew up under Bilquis’ care at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Shelter Home, receiving the affection and guidance she had lost.
Years Of Searching, No Leads
The Edhi Foundation made multiple efforts to trace Kiran’s parents, including repeated trips to Islamabad, but all attempts failed. “We tried everything, but nothing worked. She remembered very little from her childhood,” said Sabah Faisal Edhi, wife of the foundation’s current chairperson.
Her family, too, searched endlessly. Kiran’s father, Abdul Majeed, a tailor, said they distributed her photos and even published newspaper notices, but no one came forward. “We never stopped looking,” he said. “But gradually, hope faded.”
AI Steps In: A Breakthrough After 17 Years
Earlier this year, the Edhi Foundation sought the help of Nabeel Ahmed, a cybersecurity expert with Punjab’s Safe City Project, a government initiative using advanced surveillance and AI technologies.
The foundation shared Kiran’s latest photos and whatever fragments she recalled of her childhood. Using AI-powered facial recognition and tracking software, Nabeel matched her image with a missing persons report filed in Islamabad in 2008. The breakthrough led authorities straight to Kiran’s long-lost family in Karachi. “Once Nabeel contacted us, we checked all details. Everything matched,” Sabah Edhi said.
A Father’s Tears, A Daughter’s Return
Upon receiving the news, Abdul Majeed rushed to Karachi to see his daughter. “I had lost all hope,” he said, overcome with emotion. “When they told me they had found Kiran, I couldn’t believe it.” For Kiran, the reunion was bittersweet. “I’m sad to leave my family here at the shelter,” she said. “Bilquisapa and everyone cared for me like their own.”
Kiran is now the fifth girl from the Edhi shelter reunited with her family through AI and Pakistan’s Safe City systems, marking an example of how technology can help heal even the deepest human wounds.