The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, pledged to donate his whole body after his death. He made this announcement after signing a landmark bill to regulate transplant of human organs in Pakistan. The law makes the sale and unauthorised transplant of body organs punishable with up to 10 years in prison.  It provides for donations from deceased donors. It also puts into place a regulatory mechanism for the removal, storage and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes.

“Pakistan has taken an important step in passing this new law to regulate organ transplantation, and is setting an excellent example to other countries,” said Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. “The commercialization of organ transplantation is unethical, inequitable and unhealthy – both for vendors and recipients.”

The president said Pakistan had been singled out in the world community as a centre for illegal trade in body organs. He urged parliament and doctors to create awareness about the issue among the masses as no law could be effective without people's support.