CM Mahmood Khan wants recruitment for Swat lab on emergency basis

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the relevant officials to complete the recruitment process against the newly approved vacancies at the Regional Forensic Laboratory in Swat on an urgent basis.

He issued these directives while chairing a meeting held here, said a handout. Inspector General Police Sanaullah Abbasi, Secretary Planning and Development, Humayun Khan and other officials concerned of Home and Finance departments attended the meeting. The chief minister asked the officials to ensure the provision of required funds to the newly established laboratory so that the laboratory could be fully functionalised. He directed officials concerned to complete all the requirements and formalities, including the hiring of technical experts to functionalize the Digital Forensic Audio Visual Section and Explosive Section of Forensic Science Laboratory in Peshawar. Earlier, the meeting was briefed about various matters to strengthen the Forensic Science Laboratory Peshawar and to fully functionalise the newly-established Regional Forensic Laboratory, Swat.The participants were informed about the mandate, framework, operational and financial budget, existing disciplines, achievement, future plan of action and issues faced by these laboratories. The meeting was told that established in 1976, the Forensic Science laboratory Peshawar had been providing services to KP Police, National Accountability Bureau, Anti-Corruption Establishment, Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control, Pakistan Customs and other entities in civil and criminal cases, and during the year 2019 only, it has examined 68,136 cases. It was added that the FSL in Peshawar was refurbished in three different phases and recently new laboratories/sections of the FSL have been constructed being Explosive Section and Digital Audio-Visual Section. The participants were informed that the process of hiring of technical experts was underway to fully functionalize the newly established Explosive and Audio Visual Sections. The meeting was also briefed about progress made so far to functionalize the newly established Regional Forensic Laboratory Swat and told that established in collaboration with UNDP, the Regional Forensic Laboratory Swat would cater to the needs of forensic tests of the entire Malakand region.