DIGITAL EVIDENCE IN PAKISTAN: LEGAL FRAMEWORK, FORENSIC CHALLENGES, AND JUDICIAL RELIABILITY

Abstract

In Pakistan, digital technology has been widely used, and it has transformed significantly the character of evidence that is presented in the court. Mobile information and emails, as well as CCTV records and web transactions, are also digital evidence that is noteworthy in criminal and civil cases. The author of this paper has addressed the problem of gathering, storing, and accepting digital proof in the Pakistani legal framework. It puts emphasis on the applicability of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984, which lays the foundation of the rules of evidence, and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, which addresses cyber offences and sets the procedures to follow when undertaking digital investigations. The paper also gives reports about the examination and authentication of electronic records conducted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and forensic laboratories. Pakistan is said to have problems which involve a lack of technical expertise, poor infrastructure, and there is possibility of tampering with evidence, although this is legal. The role of justice and credibility in the Pakistani judicial process is to increase the digital forensics capacity and the regularity of the procedures. Bottom of Form