Art of investigation has become discipline of science

Islamabad

The art of investigation and evidence collection has become a discipline of science that improved the criminal justice system.

This was stated by Federal Ministry of Science and Technology Secretary Fazal Abbas Maken, on Monday while speaking as the chief guest at a lecture on “Forensic Science and Crime Investigation” by Director General Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Tahir at Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Islamabad. The lecture was part of PSF’s Popular Science Lecture Series. Scientists, security personnel, crime reporters from electronic and print media and people from different walks of life attended the lecture.

The federal secretary in his remarks said that the quality of justice depends upon quality of evidence and quality of evidence depends upon quality of investigation. He said that PFSA is doing a very good job in crime investigation. He said that it is a big challenge to sustain this quality work. He congratulated PSF for regularly organising popular science lectures on very important topics of science.

Dr. Tahir in lecture said that PFSA was established in 2011 under Digital Punjab Vision and it is world’s second largest forensic facility operating at international standards. He said that study and application of all sciences for crime investigation and justice is called forensic science. PFSA has no technicians and all people working on investigations are trained scientists having minimum MPhil qualification and competency.

He said that the PFSA labs included audio and visual analysis, crime scene, firearms, trace chemistry, finger prints, narcotics, forensic toxicology, forensic pathology, DNA serology and questioned documents. He spoke on working of these labs and their success stories.

PSF Chairman Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashraf talked about Foundation’s 12 science popularisation programmes and the Popular Science Lecture Series. He also talked on the importance of Forensic Science in criminal justice system.