KP govt to establish forensic agency to expedite probe in criminal cases

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to establish a forensic agency in the province to expedite probe into the criminal cases, ARY NEWS reported on Tuesday.

According to details, a bill to establish a forensic science agency was approved from the KP Assembly on Tuesday.

The bill stated that the agency would help investigation officers in probing criminal cases besides also providing support in evidence collection for the ongoing cases in the provincial courts.

The forensic agency will scrutinize the documents used in the criminal activities and would also examine the equipment and other material recovered from the crime scene.

The bill has proposed seven-year of imprisonment and one million rupees fine on forensic agency’s employees over negligence and any error in the probe.

The KP home ministry would present an annual performance report of the agency before the provincial assembly every year, the bill approved fro the assembly stated.

It is pertinent to mention here that a forensic DNA laboratory is also being established recently at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at Karachi University.

The facility provides 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.

Role of forensic examination has played a pivotal role in nabbing culprits as it happened in the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur that shocked the nation.

According to details, the culprit was caught after investigation teams used DNA reports from Punjab’s forensic laboratory. The suspect had been successfully evading investigators until a DNA sample confirmed his hand in the crime.