Funds have also been allocated for various projects, including the establishment of the ongoing project of the National Forensic Science Agency (NFSA), Integrated Border Management System (IBMS), National Response Centre for Cyber Crime (NR3C), operational improvement of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), counter-terrorism, case management system, and revamping of the FIA cybercrime wing.
A budget of Rs. 900 million has been proposed for the establishment of the ongoing projects of the NFSA headquarters and Islamabad laboratory.
This project was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in September 2021. The total cost of the project is Rs. 2262.775 million and the estimated expenditure up to June 2022 is Rs 1123.23 million. Once completed, the NFSA will be helpful in ensuring speedy investigations into crime cases of heinous nature. This will help in setting up a crime scene investigation unit at the level of police stations in the Federal Capital.
An amount of Rs. 300 million has been proposed for the IBMS (phase-ii). This project was approved by the Divisional Development Working Party (DDWP) in April 2022, and the total cost of the project is Rs. 1418.207 million. The estimated cost of the IBMS project up to June 2022 is Rs. 414.57 million. This project would prove helpful in stopping illegal travel documents, human smuggling, entry and exit of undesirable elements, etc. The FIA has already installed IBMS at Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and other airports.
This system has also been installed at the land borders, including Taftan, Torkham, Wagah, Sost, Chaman, and Kartarpur Land Routes. The FIA has also installed the IBMS at Karachi, Ghas Bandar, Bin Qasim, and Gwadar Sea Ports.
Moreover, the IBMS has been installed at Wagah and Khokhropar railway stations. The federal government has proposed Rs 100 million for the NR3C (phase iii). This project was approved by CDWP in January 2020 and the total cost of the project is Rs. 1275.536 million, whereas the estimated expenditure up to June 2022 is Rs. 1072 million.
The NR3C is the latest addition to the mandate of the FIA, primarily to deal with technology-based crimes in Pakistan. It is the only unit of its kind in the country and, in addition to the directly received complaints, it also assists other law enforcement agencies in their own cases.
NR3C has expertise in Digital Forensics, Technical Investigation, Information System Security Audits, Penetration Testing, and Training. The unit, since its inception, has been involved in the capacity building of the officers of police, intelligence, judiciary, prosecutors, and other government organizations.
Additionally, an amount of Rs 250 million has been proposed for operational improvement of the FIA in AML/CFT, counter-terrorism, and case management systems. This project was approved by DDWP in October 2021, and its total cost is Rs 1215 million, while the estimated expenditure up to June 2022 is Rs 741 million.
This counter-terrorism wing has three operational units: an investigation unit, a financial investigation unit, and a cyber terrorism investigation unit.
The federal government has proposed Rs 300 million for the revamping of the Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) FIA. The DDWP approved this project in January 2020, and the total cost is Rs. 1969 million, with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 744 million up to June 2022. This project aims to address the FIA cybercrime unit’s manpower shortage by recruiting new members and streamlining the investigative system by providing modern equipment.
