The Senate on Friday passed the National Forensics Agency Bill, 2024, unanimously with certain amendments to enhance forensic capabilities across Pakistan with key initiatives including establishing a digital forensic lab.
The bill, aimed at transforming the National Forensics Agency project into a full-fledged, independent agency, was introduced by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on October 17.
“The NFA will integrate digital and cyber forensics to combat crimes involving electronic devices, deep fakes, and other electronic offenses,” read a statement of aims and objectives of the bill.
Moreover, the NFA will also develop a center of excellence and R&D department to make it a self-sustainable agency. Furthermore, it will also envisage developing indigenous solutions to minimise the dependence on foreign governments and agencies, it added.
Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar piloted the bill in the upper house on behalf of the interior minister.
Sharing the details, Tarar said that through NFA, the existing conventional forensic labs would be upgraded and a digital forensic lab would be established “that will provide services to all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and government/private forensics labs”.
The minister said that currently, there was a forensic laboratory in Lahore, set up by incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in 2010.
