Forensic lab bill sails through Senate

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Friday unanimously passed a bill on establishing a national forensic agency in the federal capital to effectively combat digital crimes.

Initially, the ruling government ally Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) expressed concerns that were duly addressed before adoption of the piece of legislation.

The Legal Aid and Justice Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was also passed unanimously by the upper house of the parliament to shift the administrative control of the authority to the Ministry of Law and Justice from the Ministry of Human Rights.

The House took up the legislation, following the exhaustion of the question hour.

The National Forensic Agency (NFA) Bill, 2024 was piloted in the Senate by Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on behalf of the interior minister. It has already been cleared by the House standing committee concerned with consensus.

The bill was passed but not without some key amendments, one of which was to drop the provision seeking tax exemption for the agency for five years proposed under the original draft of the bill.

Likewise, through another amendment, the power to appoint director general of the Agency has been now given to the federal government, instead of the prime minister.

Whereas, an amendment to the preamble of the bill moved by Qurat ul Ain Marri of PPP was also adopted under which she said the provinces will not be bound to help the Agency.

“How can you stop the federal government from setting up a lab in the Federal Capital while I have already explained in detail? It is a lab not a police station. The House panel has already passed it with consensus,” the minister remarked in response to one of the opposition senators concerns.

The aims and objectives of the bill say, “The National Forensics Agency will integrate digital and cyber forensics to combat crimes involving electronic devices, deep fakes, and other electronic offences”.

The agency aims to enhance forensic capabilities across Pakistan. Key initiatives include upgrading existing conventional forensic labs and establishing digital forensic lab that will provide services to all provinces, GB, AJ&K, and government/private forensics labs.

The functions and responsibilities of the proposed agency to be headquartered in Islamabad will include to expand its infrastructure and human resource to establish a research department, other forensics departments and a state-of-the-art digital forensics department to assist in matter of national security.

The report and opinion of the Agency shall be an admissible evidence.

“No action taken under this Act shall be called in question in any court or otherwise except in the manner provided in this Act. No civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted against any person for anything done in good faith or purported to have been done under this Act,” the bill reads.

According to the bill, no action taken under this Act shall be called in question in any court or otherwise except in the manner provided in this Act. Similarly, no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted against any person for anything done in good faith or purported to have been done under this Act.

“All executive authorities of the federation and in the provinces shall render such assistance to the agency as may be required in the exercise or performance of the agency’s activities and functions under this Act,” another proposed of the section of the bill says.

The Agency will have a non-lapsable fund which will comprise grants made by the government, funds provided by the federal and provincial government, loans and grants from the national or international agencies received by the government to finance the functions of the Agency, and income from investments and deposits, income from the sale of movable or immovable property, and foreign and proceeds from inspection services in and outside Pakistan.

Speaking on the bill, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said establishing an independent NFA was essential to address the challenges arising from the current fragmented forensic services that lead to inconsistent standards and capabilities across the country.

He pointed out that the state-of-the-art forensic laboratory in Lahore set up by the incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2010 was overloaded and overworked. He said setting up a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory would also help eradicate crimes.

Later, taking part in the discussion on the recent PTI protest, PTI’s Aon Abbas Bappi expressed regrets over the comments made by the treasury benches that the ground realities had forced PTI to agree to parleys. He also made it clear that his party’s readiness for dialogue must not be misconstrued as its weakness.

He explained that the PTI’s incarcerated founder had expressed readiness to hold dialogue in the greater national interest and it must be seen positively, adding that talks will only be held on the basis of respect and there will be no compromise on our dignity.

Despite its mandate having been stolen, he claimed, still his was the most popular party, whereas on the other hand, the incumbent coalition government would find it difficult to bear the burden of killings of at least 13 peaceful protesters and will one day be made accountable for this tyranny.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had officially released a list of 139 individuals who came to D- Chowk last month but went missing and it was not known if they were alive or not.

Aon Abbas warned that the ‘racial profiling’ of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Islamabad will weaken the federation, regretting that holding a CNIC from KP and some cities like Mianwali and Attock had become a crime and such people were being arrested without any reason.

He remarked, “I thought that after the incident of November 26, the atmosphere here would be mournful (but) we were made fun of. Thirteen of our workers have been martyred”.

Referring to PTI’s recent march, Senator Manzoor Ahmad Kakar of the Balochistan Awami Party, termed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister a famous Pushto actor Badar Munir and said that it appeared on seeing CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as if a Pustho film shooting was underway and he was announcing to come to Islamabad to get his leader freed.

“You are trying to put the entire country at stake for sake of one person. Let the law and justice take its course,” he maintained, accusing then PTI regime of playing with the state institutions and even writing to IMF against the country.

Senator Kakar contended that PTI was reaping what it had sown, like targeting PPP and PML-N leadership and even their female members of the families and the media as well. The House will resume proceedings Monday afternoon.