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The Senate of Pakistan has passed legislation to establish the National Forensics Agency (NFA), a major initiative aimed at enhancing the country’s forensic capabilities, particularly in the areas of digital forensics and national security.
The newly approved agency is intended to replace the current National Forensics Agency Project and offer a variety of advanced forensic services, such as research, analysis, and state-of-the-art digital forensic support for national security operations. It will be essential in the prevention of terrorism, cybercrimes, and other security concerns.
The NFA will provide its services to numerous forensic agencies and laboratories throughout Pakistan, as well as to all provincial authorities, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, in addition to the federal government. The organization will oversee a specialized database for digital forensic materials, providing law enforcement agencies with specialized knowledge regarding digital evidence cases.
The secretary of the relevant division will serve as the head of the agency’s governing body, which will also include the IG of Islamabad, the national coordinator of NACTA, and the director general of the National Police Bureau. In an important policy decision, the director-general of the NFA will be obligated to maintain Pakistani citizenship exclusively, thereby guaranteeing national integrity in leadership.
The National Forensics Agency will be exempt from taxes for the first five years of operation to maintain its autonomy. If any expert or employee of the agency intentionally provides deceptive or misleading forensic reports, strict penalties will be imposed, including a potential one-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs. 1,000. The purpose of these provisions is to guarantee the agency’s work in critical investigations is both reliable and authentic.
