A young Pakistani woman named Kiran has been reunited with her family after she went missing 17 years ago—a feat made possible by cutting-edge AI and facial recognition technology.
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- In 2008, Kiran, then a child, stepped out in her Islamabad neighborhood to buy ice cream. She lost her way and forgot her home address.
- A kind woman took her to the Edhi Centre, and she was later taken in by Bilquis Edhi at the Abdul Sattar Edhi shelter home in Karachi.
- Kiran grew up under the care of the Edhi Foundation, which made several unsuccessful trips to Islamabad over the years to find her family.
AI Cracks the Cold Case
Earlier this year, the Foundation connected with Nabeel Ahmed, a cybersecurity specialist working with the Safe City Project in Punjab.
- The Foundation provided Ahmed with Kiran’s current photos and limited childhood information.
- Ahmed utilized the latest AI technology, facial recognition, and tracking software.
- He successfully located a decades-old ‘missing girl’ report filed in Islamabad.
- The technology was able to connect the woman in Karachi with the missing child, leading him directly to her father, Abdul Majeed.
Abdul Majeed, a tailor, had lost all hope of ever seeing his daughter again after searching and even publishing her photo in newspapers years ago.
Kiran, now 27, expressed her gratitude to the Edhi family and her joy at finally returning home. This success highlights a growing initiative, as Kiran is the fifth girl whose family has been traced through the Foundation’s collaboration with police and Safe City Projects across Pakistan.
