Missing For 17 Years: How an AI Innovation Brought a Pakistani Woman Back to Her Family
Missing For 17 Years: Thanks to artificial intelligence, face recognition software, and the perseverance of the Edhi Foundation, a young Pakistani lady who had been separated from her family for 17 years was ultimately reunited with them in an incredible tale of hope, technology, and compassion.
Kiran, who only goes by one name, vanished in Islamabad in 2008 at the age of ten. She couldn’t recall her address and got lost when she left her house to get ice cream. “I was weeping and lost. I couldn’t remember anything, so a kind lady escorted me to the Edhi Center in Islamabad,” Kiran, who is now 27, said.
Bilquis Edhi, the late benefactor Abdul Sattar Edhi’s widow, discovered her a few days later and took Kiran to Karachi. She received the love and direction she had missed while growing up under Bilquis’ care at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Shelter Home.
Years of Looking, No Results
The Edhi Foundation visited Islamabad many times in an attempt to track down Kiran’s parents, but all of their efforts were unsuccessful. “Everything we attempted didn’t work. According to Sabah Faisal Edhi, the current chairwoman of the foundation’s wife, she didn’t recall much of her early years.
Her relatives also searched incessantly. Tailor Abdul Majeed, Kiran’s father, said that after distributing her pictures and even publishing newspaper ads, nobody came forward. He said, “We never stopped looking.” “But hope dwindled over time.”
After 17 Years, AI Makes a Breakthrough
Nabeel Ahmed, a cybersecurity specialist with Punjab’s Safe City Project, a government program using cutting-edge surveillance and artificial intelligence technology, was contacted earlier this year by the Edhi Foundation.
The foundation posted Kiran’s most recent images along with any tidbits of her early years that she remembered. Nabeel compared her photo to a 2008 missing persons report submitted in Islamabad using AI-powered face recognition and tracking tools. Authorities were able to locate Kiran’s long-lost relatives in Karachi thanks to the discovery. We verified every data as soon as Nabeel got in touch with us. Sabah Edhi said, “Everything matched.”
A Daughter’s Return, A Father’s Tears
Abdul Majeed hurried to see his daughter in Karachi after learning the news. He was overtaken with sorrow and stated, “I had lost all hope.” “I couldn’t believe it when they told me that they had located Kiran.” The reunion was bittersweet for Kiran. She said, “I’m sorry to leave my family here at the shelter.” “Everyone, including Bilquisapa, treated me like their own.”
As an illustration of how technology can aid in the healing of even the most severe human wounds, Kiran is now the sixth girl from the Edhi shelter to be reunited with her family using AI and Pakistan’s Safe City protocols.