Court gives Sindh govt two weeks to establish forensic lab

 

KARACHI: Acting Chief Justice, Gulzar Ahmed, on Saturday expressed resentment over delay in construction of a forensic laboratory in Sindh, ARY News reported.

Hearing a case at the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry, the acting CJP inquired from authorities’ reasons of non-construction of a forensic laboratory despite lapse of 18 months, against the allotted time of one year for the project.

Home secretary Sindh, secretary health, representatives of the University of Karachi (where the laboratory is to be set up), and others were present during the hearing.

Justice Gulzar said nobody appeared to be concerned about absence of such an important laboratory. He also asked reasons of delay in setting up the forensic lab.

The representative of the Sindh government responded that delay in release of funds was the prime reason that the lab couldn’t be established as yet.

The acting CJP ordered setting up of the laboratory within two weeks, and stated no further delay in the construction of lab would be tolerated.

The provincial health department has planned to set up a forensic DNA laboratory at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at Karachi University.

The laboratory will be called Strengthening Forensic DNA and Serology Facility.

The facility will provide assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies in the scientific investigation of civil and criminal cases. Genetic material discovered during investigations will no longer be sent to diagnostic laboratories in Punjab, thereby saving both time and money.