National Forensic Agency starts operations

Pakistan’s first National Forensic Agency has formally begun operations, the interior ministry said. Mohsin Naqvi said the body would support law enforcement nationwide and help address crime and security matters.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first National Forensic Agency formally started functioning on Friday, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The agency was created under The National Forensic Agency Bill, 2024, which was enacted into law in 2024. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the agency’s headquarters and expressed the hope that

the institution will assist in national security matters and curtailing crime

During the visit, Naqvi said the agency would support law enforcement bodies across the country. The ministry said he instructed the NFA to set up offices in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He also directed that the services being offered by the agency should be

widely publicised

Director General NFA Hasnaat Rasool briefed the interior minister on the agency’s progress and said the

first phase

had been completed. According to the ministry’s statement, Rasool told Naqvi that the agency was already providing services in digital forensics, including deepfake forensics, computer and mobile forensics, audio-video, network and drone forensics.

Rasool was quoted as saying that

1,500 digital forensic cases have been reported in one year

. He added that under the second phase,

25 specialised labs will be established

The interior minister also toured several sections of the agency during his visit. According to the statement, he visited the Research and Innovation Lab, Digital Forensics Lab, Narcotics Lab, FinTech Lab and Questionable Documents Lab.

The ministry further said Naqvi inspected the DNA, firearms, serology and explosives rooms. He praised the team for

making the agency fully operational in a short time

During the visit, the minister also asked about the training course being conducted at the agency for assistant superintendents of police.

The ministry described the NFA as now fully functional, marking the formal start of operations for the country’s first national-level forensic agency.