Latest news with #PunjabForensicScienceAgency
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Imran again refuses lie detector tests
Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday refused to undergo lie detector test for the fourth time and a team comprising policemen and members of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) returned after waiting at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for four hours. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore had allowed police to conduct the text on Imran in connection with cases filed against him and a number of PTI leaders after unprecedented incidents of vandalism in which dozens of army installations were attacked on May 9 and May 10 or 2023. According to sources, a Lahore police investigation team led by DSP Asif Javed arrived at Adiala Jail at 12:45 pm to conduct a polygraph test, photogrammetric and voice matching tests. Members of the PFSA were also part of the investigation team, including inspectors Muhammad Aslam, Tasaddaq, Saleem, and Naveed as well technical expert Abid Ayub. Upon their arrival, the prison authorities informed the PTI founder, but he refused for the fourth time to join the investigation. Sources said Imran was informed that the investigation team had come with a court order, yet he again declined to undergo the tests. After Imran's refusal to cooperate in the investigation process, the teams had to return after a long wait. Earlier, Imran Khan had stipulated that he would only participate in the investigation and undergo the tests in the presence of his lawyers. However, when the investigators returned with his legal counsel present, he provided a written response stating that Article 13 grants him protection from being compelled to become a witness against himself or assist in producing evidence that may be used against him. Lahore ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill on May 14 allowed the police to conduct polygraphlie detectionand photogrammetricfacial and voice analysistests of Imran Khan in twelve May 9 cases. The judge had ordered completion of the tests within 12 days, saying the prosecution might meet the PTI founder in Adiala Jail during that period. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Lahore, PTI leadersSalman Akram Raja and Malik Ahmed Khansaid there is no restriction on Imran Khan's sons to return to Pakistan and participate in politics. The PTI founder's sonsKasim and Suleimanhave remained throughout their lives in the United Kingdom with their mother--Imran's first wife Jemima Goldsmith In a rare interview released on social media on May 13, Kasim and Sulaiman spoke about the alleged "suppression of democracy" in Pakistan and a lack of basic facilities for Imran Khan in his prison cell. They said their father was being kept in prison on "trumped up charges." They also urged US President Donald Trump and the international community to help free their father from prison, appealing to "people of influence" around the world to press for his release. WITH INPUT FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN LAHORE
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Express Tribune
'Arms recovery sans forensics not conclusive'
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that the recovery of a weapon, without forensic confirmation linking it to the crime, cannot be treated as incriminating evidence. Citing serious gaps in the prosecution's case, the court acquitted Shahid Mehmood alias Demo, who had been convicted of killing two people during a dacoity. A two-member bench led by Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem observed that the prosecution "miserably failed" to establish the convict's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The bench criticized the trial court for giving undue weight to the recovery of a Kalashnikov and bullets, which were neither linked to the crime through forensic evidence nor shown to be in the exclusive possession of the accused. The prosecution had presented the recovery of a Kalashnikov and three bullets from an abandoned house as key evidence. However, the court found that this recovery failed on multiple counts. "No crime empties were sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) for ballistic comparison with the recovered weapon," the judgment noted. "Without this forensic linkage, the recovery remains disconnected from the crime." The court also noted that the prosecution failed to prove that the location from where the weapon was recovered was in Shahid's exclusive control. The site plan prepared by the investigating officer lacked any such confirmation, and no circumstantial evidence was offered to establish the accused's dominion over the abandoned house. The bench ruled that the identification parade conducted more than 20 months after the crime was unreliable.
Express Tribune
26-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Review reveals lapses in handling of criminal cases
A recent internal review has revealed significant lapses in the handling of serious criminal cases by Rawalpindi police stations, including delays in filing First Information Reports (FIRs), pending DNA reports at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency, and repeated failure of station house officers (SHOs) and investigating officers to appear in court on scheduled dates. City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Hamdani and SSP Operations Kashif Zulfiqar expressed strong concerns over these issues. They have directed divisional superintendents of police (SPs) to ensure timely registration of FIRs, expedite the process of acquiring pending forensic reports, and ensure compliance with court orders. According to official sources, CPO Hamdani specifically addressed SPs of Rawal, Potohar, and Saddar divisions, citing a large number of serious casesincluding murder, rape, gang rape, and unnatural offenceswhose DNA reports remain pending at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency. Despite these cases being under trial in courts, relevant SHOs and officers have reportedly failed to follow up on the forensic reports, leading to frequent embarrassment for the police in legal proceedings. Furthermore, the CPO highlighted that SHOs and investigating officers often do not appear in court on their assigned dates. He issued strict instructions that all such officers must be made accountable for attending court hearings and ensuring the implementation of judicial orders. He also emphasised that pending DNA reports must be obtained and presented in court without delay and that full case details should be shared with both the CPO Office and the forensic agency. Separately, SSP Operations Kashif Zulfiqar issued a formal directive to divisional SPs, stating that monitoring has revealed a consistent failure to register FIRs on time, which constitutes a serious violation of standard operating procedures and directives from higher authorities.
Express Tribune
21-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Girl 'abducted, raped, murdered' in Pindi
People gather as an ambulance carries the dead body of an unidentified woman killed in an explosion that occurred while revellers were swimming at the Lido beach in Mogadishu, Somalia August 3, 2024. PHOTO:REUTERS A seven-year-old girl was allegedly abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in the Mandrah area of Rawalpindi. According to police, the incident took place in the Paanch Marla Scheme area under the jurisdiction of the Mandrah police station. The victim's father, Nauman Farzan Masih, stated that he has two daughters and two sons, with the eldest being seven-year-old victim. On the day of the incident, relatives were visiting the house for a community Eid gathering. Around 3pm, Shafaq went outside to play near the house. When she didn't return by 6pm, the family began searching for her. After failing to get any information from neighbours and relatives, the father, along with his wife and brother-in-law, continued searching and eventually reached the upper floor of an under-construction house in the neighbourhood, owned by a man named Shoaib. There, in a room resembling a washroom or storage area, they found Shafaq's lifeless body. There were visible injuries on her neck and forehead, he said. The father alleged that unknown individual(s) abducted his daughter, subjected her to sexual assault, and then murdered her. Police have registered a case under Section 364-A (kidnapping of a minor), 376(iii) (rape), and 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to officials, the girl's postmortem was delayed due to the unavailability of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) and the victim's parents were made to wait the whole night at the Gujar Khan hospital. Upon complaining, they were told the PFSA team had gone to Attock. However, the team arrived in the morning. The police said the case has been registered under the complaint of the victim's father.
Express Tribune
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Punjab to establish Forensic Science Authority
LAHORE: The Punjab government has introduced the Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2024 in the provincial assembly, aiming to enhance forensic investigations across the province. The new bill seeks to upgrade the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) into an autonomous authority, with the Punjab Chief Minister serving as its Chairperson. According to the Punjab Home Department, the Provincial Cabinet has already approved the bill, which has now been referred to the Punjab Assembly's Special Committee on Home Affairs for further deliberation. The proposed authority will comprise senior officials, including the Home Secretary, Finance Secretary, Law Secretary, Planning & Development Secretary, Public Prosecution Secretary, Punjab Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Forensic Science Authority. Additionally, experts in audio-visual analysis, computer forensics, criminology, molecular sciences, and pathology will be part of the technical panel. Equipped with modern forensic tools and technologies, the new authority aims to bring scientific investigations in Punjab up to international standards. A dedicated fund will be established to support forensic research and development. The bill also mandates that forensic experts provide professional opinions and reports in courts and tribunals. Once enacted, the Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2024 will repeal the Punjab Forensic Science Agency Act 2007. Meanwhile, the Punjab Cabinet Committee on Law and Order convened to review security arrangements for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and Raiwind Tablighi Ijtima, ensuring comprehensive measures for these major events. During the committee's 22nd meeting, chaired by Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, officials discussed security preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Raiwind congregation. Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal provided a detailed briefing on the province's security situation, while the committee reviewed joint security audit reports of Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Officials were directed to implement fool-proof security measures. To strengthen security, the deployment of five Army companies and one Rangers wing was approved for the Champions Trophy.
