DNA profiling and databasing: An analysis of issues and challenges in the criminal justice system of Pakistan

Abstract

The use of DNA as evidence in judicial trials in Pakistan is fraught with issues and challenges, including sampling, profiling, analysis, inclusion and exclusion criteria, insight and oversight mechanisms, invasion of personal privacy, constitutional safeguards and court admissibility issues. These problems have diminished the significance of this robust forensic evidence and hindered the creation of a central database in the country. This paper discusses these issues and introduces suggestions for the inclusion of DNA as significant evidence in the criminal justice system of Pakistan.