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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has established a new Directorate of Forensic Lab within its Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to enhance its capacity to examine digital equipment, travel documents and probe financial fraud cases, an FIA spokesperson said on Monday.

The FIA is Pakistan’s premier investigative agency responsible for handling a wide range of national and transnational crimes, including cybercrime, human trafficking, immigration violations, financial fraud, militancy and corruption.

Within the agency, investigators faced challenges including outdated tools, limited funding, and a lack of advanced hardware and software for forensic investigations, according to officials.

The agency previously outsourced forensic analyzes, particularly of documents, digital media and banking frauds, to the overburdened Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) or regional labs, leading to delayed results.

“Restructuring process continues in FIA as a new Directorate of Forensic Lab [has been] established at the headquarters of the agency,” FIA spokesperson Abdul Ghafoor told Arab News, adding the new facility would enhance the FIA’s forensic examination capabilities and modernize its investigative process.

“The forensic lab will allow for detailed forensic examination of travel documents as the directorate is equipped with advanced technological tools and facilities.”

With the increasing use of mobile phones and laptops in crimes, Ghafoor said, forensic analysis of gadgets has become essential to obtain verified data and present it as evidence in court.

“Digital forensics of mobile phones and laptops used by suspects will be conducted using state-of-the-art equipment and also fingerprint analysis of suspects will also be possible [through the lab],” he added.

The directorate has been equipped with a geo-fencing system and represents a significant step toward establishing a modern and effective investigation system, according to the official. It will also provide technical support in investigating banking fraud cases.

Top former FIA officials believe establishing the new forensic directorate was a “long-overdue step” and it will help FIA investigations by enabling reliable digital evidence collection in both cyber and financial crime domains.

“This was a long-overdue step as manual methods of analysis have more possibility of error margins and inconsistent results, which hampered the progress of investigations,” Ammar Jaffery, a former FIA director-general, told Arab News.

He said digital forensic capabilities were critical in today’s complex crime landscape, which ranges from cybercrime to document forgery.

“This new directorate will not only ensure accurate and timely analysis but will also strengthen the agency’s ability to gather admissible evidence, and support prosecution,” Jaffery added.

Bashir Memon, another former FIA DG, said mobile devices were now central to most criminal investigations, including those of extortion, harassment and militancy.

“Without proper digital forensic tools, crucial evidence often remained hidden or was challenged in court,” he told Arab News.

“The new forensic directorate enables precise mobile data extraction, call pattern analysis, and geo-fencing, which are essential for building strong, court-admissible cases.”

In cases of financial and bank frauds, Memon said, traditional investigation methods were insufficient to trace digital footprints, track money trails, or verify forged documents.

“With the digital forensic lab equipped with the modern technology, FIA can now authenticate financial records, detect manipulated transactions, and verify identities linked to fake accounts or forged passports vastly improving outcomes in white-collar crime cases,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced Rs4 billion ($14 million) funds for mapping and rebuilding flood-hit infrastructure in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.

At least 10 people have died and five others have sustained injuries in the region in rain- and flood-related incidents in GB, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Several people, including tourists, remain missing after deadly flash floods.

The region, home to thousands of glaciers and five out of 14 world peaks above the height of 8,000 meters, has suffered the highest infrastructure losses, with 347 houses destroyed and 196 partially damaged, and several roads and bridges damaged and blocked by raging floodwaters over the last few weeks.

Sharif arrived in Gilgit city on Monday to review the flood situation in the region and presided over a meeting, attended by senior officials and ministers of the regional and central governments, to take stock of the damages during the monsoon season.

“Today, I stand before you, alongside members of my cabinet, to express our heartfelt solidarity with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. I assure you, God willing, that I will remain present with you until you are fully settled in your homes once again,” he told affected people at a ceremony to distribute compensation cheques, urging regional and federal authorities to work relentlessly to prepare against climate disasters.

“I will return at the end of August, God willing, during which [NDMA chief] Inam Haider is tasked to conduct full mapping of the losses, estimate damages, and report back. I expect contributions from both federal and Gilgit-Baltistan governments. Today, I announce a fund of 4 billion rupees for this purpose.”

Pakistan ranks among the most climate-vulnerable countries despite contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The country has witnessed increasingly erratic weather events in recent years, including record-breaking rains, floods, heatwaves, droughts and severe storms.

Sharif said his government was responsible for installing advanced warning systems across the region, acknowledging that though development programs had been ongoing in the region on paper for seven years, “little real work has been done, whether by the federal or provincial governments.”

“Over these seven years, negligible progress occurred,” he said. “I emphasize that the timeline set must be adhered to strictly — not even an hour of delay is acceptable.”

The prime minister announced Rs1 million for the deceased individuals, Rs400,000 for severely injured persons, Rs300,000 for the injured, Rs600,000 for those whose houses were destroyed and Rs400,000 for the one with partial damages to their homes.

“Those with business losses, shops, or small enterprises will receive tiered compensation accordingly,” he announced, tasking members of his cabinet with overseeing road repairs, water and power projects.

“I previously announced a 100 MW solar power project through the national solar energy program. I expect that by next summer, especially in the harsh winter months when you face acute power shortages, this project will significantly alleviate them,” Sharif told the attendees.

The PM’s visit came hours after the Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more rains in the country, saying monsoon currents penetrating Pakistan were expected to intensify from Aug. 4.

It said heavy rains may generate flash floods in local nullahs/streams of Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, northeast Punjab and Azad Kashmir from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7.

“Landslides/mudslides may cause roads’ closure in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir during the forecast period,” the PMD said.

In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, while a third of Pakistan was submerged by devastating floods in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people, affected over 30 million and caused an estimated $35 billion in damages.