Punjab places Forensic Science Agency under direct political control

Lahore: The Punjab government has changed the law to bring the Forensic Science Agency under direct political control.

Last week, the Punjab government passed a controversial law that dissolved the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) and established a new body that would be directly supervised by the chief minister and would be staffed primarily by bureaucrats.

Under the 2007 law, the agency’s director general was required to be an expert in forensic sciences, but the 2025 law has removed this requirement.

The move is being seen as an attempt by the provincial government to gain more control over forensic science services in the province.

The Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2025 was introduced in the Punjab Assembly on February 12 by provincial finance minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and was passed on March 12.

What was included in new law?

The law establishes a new forensic body to be called the Punjab Forensic Science Authority, which will replace the existing PFSA and also repeal the Punjab Forensic Science Agency Act 2007, which previously governed the agency’s structure and operations.

Headquartered in Lahore, the PFSA was a specialized agency whose purpose was to provide forensic science services to law enforcement agencies and to present expert testimony in criminal courts.

Under the 2007 law, the PFSA was headed by a Director General. However, under the new law, it has been placed under the direct control of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who will be the chairperson of the agency, and 13 additional members will be appointed to oversee its operations.

The 13 members will include a vice-chairperson appointed by the chief minister herself, as well as secretaries of various provincial departments: home, finance, law, planning, and public prosecution. Additional members will include the inspector general of police or his nominee, a director general, and five experts in the fields of criminology, molecular sciences, pathology, and cybercrime analysis.

One of the most notable changes is that the 2007 law required the director general to be an expert in forensic sciences, but the 2025 law has removed this requirement.

The law further states that the director general will serve at the ‘pleasure of the chief minister’, and the terms of his appointment will be determined by the chief minister. While under the previous law, the director general could be removed only for proven misconduct.

The new law states that in case of a vacancy in the post of Director General, the Chief Minister of Punjab shall appoint a bureaucrat of BS-20 rank from Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) or Provincial Management Services (PMS).

Another important provision in the new law is that a majority voting system has been introduced for decisions within the authority and it is worth noting that at least 9 of the 14 members of the authority are either from the provincial government or have been appointed by the government, unlike the previous setup, where there was no such voting system.

In addition, the definition of ‘forensic material’ has been expanded in the new law to include more types of evidence such as biological samples, documents, cybercrime material, and audio and video recordings.

The statement of objections to the law claims that the previous agency was overwhelmed with workload and pending cases.

The statement added, “The establishment and formation of the authority is the need of the hour for speedy disposal of cases and to provide impartial scientific opinion”.

However, it is not clear how the new authority, which will consist mostly of bureaucrats, will be able to make the processing of cases more efficient.

What justification does govt offer?

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari defended the law, saying that appointing the chief minister as the head of the authority would improve financial and administrative control. “This will give the new authority more ownership in terms of finances and administration and will create a sense of immediate implementation and efficiency,” she said in her written response.

She added that the old PFSA building, equipment, and capacity had not been updated after 2016, while Chief Minister Maryam has allocated Rs8 billion for the construction and upgradation of new equipment, infrastructure, and building to modernize the authority.

Speaking on the abolition of the requirement of being a forensic expert for the director general, Azma claimed that the previous educational qualification was no longer relevant as international experts could not compete for the post.

She said: “The government has now simplified the process which will also give an opportunity to senior police officers with relevant educational qualifications and expertise to apply”.

Experts raise concerns

Legal experts are expressing concern over the political coloring and diminution of forensic independence under the new law, saying that the law could affect the impartiality of forensic analysis and impact the provincial justice system.

Lawyer Rida Hussain said that this law creates a forensic authority that will be considered to serve the provincial government. She added that the most significant change is that the Director General will now work at the ‘pleasure’ of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and can be dismissed without cause.

Rida Hussain added that under the previous law, the Director General could be removed only on specific grounds such as mismanagement, but now the Chief Minister can punish members for taking independent decisions.

She also criticized the structure of the new authority, which she said includes only 5 experts, and all of them work at the will of the government and can be dismissed without cause.

“Instead of creating an authority consisting of experts who take independent decisions, this law ensures that government officers/government nominees are in the majority, and any dissent can be punished in case of dismissal,” he said.

Lahore-based lawyer Asad Rahim Khan also expressed similar concerns, saying that the work of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency has been praised many times in the past, especially in the field of crime prevention.

“The director-general is no longer required to have expertise in forensic sciences,” he said, “This is another victory for an overly politicized, overly generalist and overly lenient civil service”.