What is forensic test

ISLAMABAD: What is forensic test of an audio-video recording? Prime Minister Imran Khan has been quoted as telling the official spokesmen that forensic audit of the leaked video -- in which Accountability Judge Arshad Malik and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) activist Nasir Butt are discussing the verdict against deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif -- is necessary and that the judiciary should take notice of the released tape as he wishes it to issue an order for investigation. The government will provide every facility whatever decision the judiciary takes, he said.

The PML-N too has been calling for action by the superior judiciary on the video and reversal of the conviction imposed by Judge Arshad Malik by the superior courts. Before that Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has repeatedly stated the government’sintent to conduct a forensic examination of the video.

When contacted, an expert of the Punjab Forensic Laboratory explained to The News on condition of anonymity that the organisation has the software to analyse an audio-video recording to ascertain its authenticity. It is determined whether or not any editing or mixing has been done.

He said the voices of those found in a tape, sent to the laboratory for examination, were taken for reference to match them with those occurring in the recording. If they turn out to be same, the tapes are declared original, he said and added that all this was done purely on scientific basis.

According to Wikipedia, forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts".

This means that the forensic test will be conducted only after a crime has been committed. There are three kinds of audits – forensic, financial and performance. One analysis is the scientific test, the other relates to the use of finances and identification of any irregularities and the other pertains to performance to ascertain whether or not intended objectives were achieved.

A forensic audit is an examination and evaluation of a firm's or individual's financial information for use as evidence in court. It can be carried out to prosecute a party for fraud, embezzlement, or other financial claims.

This kind of test relates to or denotes the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation and detection of crime. Wikipedia says people can be identified by their fingerprints. This assertion is supported by the philosophy of friction ridge identification, which states that friction ridge identification is established through the agreement of friction ridge formations, in sequence, having sufficient uniqueness to individualize.

People can also be identified from traces of their DNA from blood, skin, hair and saliva by DNA fingerprinting, from their ear print, from their teeth or bite by forensic odontology, from a photograph or a video recording by facial recognition systems, from the video recording of their walk by gait analysis, from an audio recording by voice analysis, from their handwriting by handwriting analysis, from the content of their writings by their writing style (e.g. typical phrases, factual bias, and/or misspellings of words), or from other traces using other biometric techniques.

Since forensic identification has been first introduced to the courts in 1980, the first exoneration due to DNA evidence was in 1989 and there have been several additional exonerations since then. Those who specialize in forensic identification continue to make headway with new discoveries and technological advances to make convictions more accurate.