The Senate on Friday passed the National Forensics Agency (NFA) Bill, 2024 unanimously with certain amendments, which aims at transforming the NFA project into a full-fledged, independent agency in order to enhance forensic capabilities across Pakistan.
Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on behalf of the Minister for Interior piloted the bill in the House.
Sharing the details, Tarar said that through the NFA, the existing conventional forensic labs and establishing a digital forensic lab would also provide services to all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and government/private forensics labs.
He said establishing an independent NFA in Pakistan was essential to address the challenges arising from the current fragmented forensic services that lead to inconsistent standards and capabilities across the country.
Senate body passes bill seeking to transform NFA project into independent agency
The minister said that currently there was a forensic laboratory in Lahore which was set up by the incumbent prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2010.
The laboratory had already overloaded and there was need of the hour that all provincial governments should also include setting up such labs in their respective provinces, he added.
Tarar said setting up a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory would also help eradicating crimes.
Senators Qurat ul Anin Marri and Zamir Hussain Ghumro moved their amendments which were passed by the House.