Evidence gathering: Forensics lab a justice system milestone, says CM

Rs3 billion lab inaugurated at Thokar Niaz Baig, to be fully operational by March.

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the Rs3 billion Punjab Forensic Science Agency on Sunday and hailed it as the most advanced lab of its kind in South Asia and one that would revolutionise the dispensation of justice in Pakistan.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony at Thokar Niaz Baig, the chief minister said that the forensics lab would ensure that criminals do not go scot free due to a lack of hard evidence.

He said that the agency would have a “robust independent status”, reducing the chances of manipulation, mishandling and contamination of evidence.

He was talking to the inaugural ceremony of Punjab Forensic Science Agency at Tokhar Niaz Baig that was completed in time span of two years with estimated cost of around 3 billion rupees.

Home Secretary Shahid Khan, IG Punjab Javeed Iqbal, Senior Minister Punjab Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa were present at the occasion.

PFSA Director General Dr Muhammad Ashraf Tahir said that the lab would provide services in 14 specialised areas: audio visual analysis, computer forensics, crime scene investigation, forensic photography, firearms and tool marks, latent fingerprints, narcotics, forensic toxicology, forensic pathology, forensic DNA and serology, documents, trace chemistry and polygraph examination.

He said that 32 forensic scientists employed by the agency had been trained in America and would now train scientists in Pakistan. He said that physical evidence at the crime scene was often wasted because of a lack of technology and awareness. “Any contact a person makes with a solid substance leaves a trace behind,” he said.

Dr Ashraf said that the agency had already trained 150 police officers in how to gather evidence at the crime scene and 225 prosecutors on how to use the evidence to convict suspects. He said that lawyers and judges would be educated about forensic evidence as well. “Police officers will be taught to properly inspect the crime scene to collect as much evidence as possible and to preserve this evidence,” he said.

Project manager Nayyar Mehmood told The Express Tribune that five sections of the lab, construction of which began two years ago, were operational while the nine other sections would be operational by March. He said that the installation of all equipment would be completed by December, but certification would take another two to three months.

He said that 200 forensic scientists were currently being trained at the PFSA. He said that the lab’s DNA and fingerprint identification and analysis systems were based on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s CODIS (Combined DNA Indexing System) and AFAS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System).

Syed Al Mustafa Imam, a law professor and chairman of the company which constructed the building complex at Thokar Niaz Baig, said that Pakistan’s legal system relied entirely on evidence from witnesses while evidence from the crime scene was wasted. He said that the lab would strengthen the prosecution of many cases as physical evidence collected from the crime scene was irrefutable.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st,  2011.