Pakistan to set up national forensic agency

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has decided to establish a national forensic agency (NFA) due to the worsening law and order situation in the country and a budget of Rs.2 billion ($23 million) has been approved for setting it up, an official said.

The Express Tribune Thursday reported that the poor law and order situation prompted the government to set up the NFA that will provide forensic science services to the police, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other government agencies that require it for investigation.

A senior official said that the decision to set up the NFA was taken due to the frequent attacks on security forces and on public places.

The NFA will be run by the interior ministry and its head office will be set up in Islamabad.

The branches of the new agency will be spread across the country, barring Punjab.

Punjab has already worked on it and it has developed a forensic sciences system, the official was quoted as saying.

He pointed out that a forensic laboratory that was set up in 1974 is now outdated as the nature of crime has completely changed.

The NFA has been approved after hectic efforts spanning almost 12 years, the official said, adding that it was necessary to establish such an agency, considering the worsening law and order situation.

The agency will have multiple facilities including forensic chemistry, the study of detection and identification of drugs, accelerants used in arson cases, explosives and gunshot residue.