Forensic agency to set up offices at divisional level

Centres to be opened in DG Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Multan

LAHORE: The government has decided to extend operations of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSC) to the divisional level, The Express Tribune has learnt.

“Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has approved the establishment of PFSC divisional offices. PFSC is headquartered in Lahore. Its offices will now be established in other divisions of the Punjab including, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal and Sargodha,” an official at the CM’s Office said.

“These offices will work as collection centres. In many cases, forensic evidence collected by local law enforcement agencies is not usable by the time it reaches Lahore. The divisional offices will collect forensic evidence, preserve it and send it to the PFSA headquarters for further examination,” the official said.

PFSC receives physical evidence from law enforcement agencies. It then analyses it and provides accurate results. The agency officials also testify in courts. The PFSC building comprises an area of 53 kanals. It offers polygraph tests, DNA tests and other specialised tests.

“The PSFC provides services to law enforcement agencies in the Punjab. Several countries send forensic evidence for examination to the PFSC. Cases are solved through scientific analysis of the evidence. The chief minister wanted to expand its operations to deal with crime,” another official said.

“At the first stage, divisional centres will just collect evidence and send it to the PFSC. Later, they will also start doing the tests. Major tests, however, will only be done at the PFSC headquarters. After the divisional level, the operations of agency may be expanded to the district level,” he said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Home Department Mehar Ijaz Ahmad Achalana said that operations of the PFSC were being expanded to the divisional level. “This is being done in accordance with the vision of the chief minister to provide justice to people and improve the quality of investigation in criminal cases,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2016.