Country’s key independent DNA lab on brink of closure after stoppage of funds

KARACHI: The only independent ISO-17025 certified forensic DNA and serology lab in the country, which has furnished high-quality reports in over 8,000 cases over the last five years, including high profile cases, is on the brink of closure because of non-payment of dues by the Sindh government and expiry of its MoU with the health department.

The Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory (SFDL) established at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, in 2019 is likely to discontinue DNA testing services from Dec 20, 2023, Dawn learnt on Thursday.

Sources said that the provincial government wanted to ‘dismantle’ the independent lab operating at the varsity’s institute and ‘shift’ the facility to the Chemical Examiner’s office at the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, whose performance is widely believed to be ‘below satisfactory’.

The sources expressed the fear that with the possible discontinuation of services by an independent and reputable institution, the country would be deprived of a facility providing authentic DNA reports.

There are also fears that transparency in medical reports may also be undermined, creating problem of acceptance in courts.

They pointed out that the SFDL/ICCBS lab had provided reports of over 8,000 cases during last five years, including high-profile cases of PIA plane crash in Model Colony, baby Maham rape-cum-murder, burning of 14 bodies in a road accident at Nooriabad, suicide attack on Chinese academics inside the KU and other kidnapping and murder cases, which helped law enforcers in identifying the bodies and bringing culprits to justice in criminal cases.

Serious issues

“The Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory [SFDL], at the ICCBS, University of Karachi is facing serious issues,” said the letter written by director of the ICCBS Prof Dr Farzana Shaheen addressed to secretary of health Sindh Dr Mansoor Abbas Rizvi on Dec 11, 2023, a copy of which is available with Dawn.

The letter pointed out that the committed amount of Rs183.13 million as per the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from Oct 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, has not been ‘fully released’ even after the lapse of a whole year resulting in huge liabilities.

“Furthermore, the MoU with the Department of Health expired on Sept 30, 2023, however, it is not renewed which may have legal repercussions,” apprehended the head of the ICCBS.

Prof Shaheen, a Unesco/Fulbright fellow, pointed out that “since its establishment by an MoU with the department of Health, Govt of Sindh in 2019, the Lab has furnished high-quality reports of national and international relevance.

“The SFDL has the prestige of being the only Forensic DNA Lab in Pakistan, which is ISO-17025 certified for the complete process of Forensic DNA and Serology,” the letter read.

“In the current situation, the SFDL will not be able to continue its services from December 20, 2023, till the release of all outstanding funds and the renewal of the MoU,” concluded the letter.

Background

Highlighting the background of establishment of the forensic lab at the KU, sources said that the forensic lab was established at ICCBS in 2019 because there was no quality lab in the metropolis.

The Chemical Examiner’s office allegedly used to issue ‘less than satisfactory reports’ and in one high-profile case, it (the examiner’s office) had gained notoriety. They said that it was because of these reasons; the forensic DNA lab was established at the ICCBS.

Achievements

They pointed out that the SFDL at the ICCBS was considered the “only Forensic DNA Lab in the country that is ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) accredited for the complete Forensic DNA analysis process”.

The lab was believed to have “well-qualified and trained staff who participate in international proficiency testing annually to compare their results with top international laboratories,” the sources.

They added that the lab also invited UK-based world-renowned forensic DNA expert Dr William Goodwin for review who “showed complete satisfaction with the lab process, quality, and competence of the staff”.

Moreover, top officials from national institutions, judiciary and government have visited the lab multiple times to monitor its performance and showed ‘satisfaction’ over its work.

Moreover, the ICCBS lab has conducted more than 30 workshops to train judges, prosecutors, medico-legal officers, crime scene unit officers and police investigators.

Highlighting achievements of the SFDL/ICCBS in certain high profile cases, the sources said that in the PIA plane crash on May 22, 2022 in Model Colony in which 91 passengers and eight crew members were killed while two passengers survived, the SFDL team collected samples and identified 97 bodies based on DNA testing with the then PIA chief executive officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik appreciating its performance through a letter to the director of ICCBS.

In the baby Maham case, which shocked the society on July 28, 2021, the lab solved the case within 48 hours after submission of the samples. The also lab helped identify 14 completely burnt bodies of passengers in the Nooriabad road accident in 2020 within 48 hours.

The lab also helped the police find the body of a kidnapped teenager in Malir Cantonment on January 2, 2022. The mutilated body was found in the jurisdiction of Sahil police station. This was considered a complicated case, which could not have been solved without the help of DNA analysis.

The team of SFDL also identified the body parts of three Chinese faculty members along with the driver and the suicide bomber in less than 26 hours after the suicide attack on the van of foreign faculty members of the Confucius Institute in the KU on April 26, 2022.

Informed sources said that murder of Dia Bheel in Sinjhoro, Sanghar, on Dec 28, 2022, was highlighted in the Indian media as an ‘evidence of communal violence’ against the Hindu minority to malign Pakistan’ but the ICCBS lab through DNA analysis helped the police arrest the suspect who was a ‘magician from the Bheel Hindu community’.

In the Lasbela bus accident in January, 2023, 73 burnt bodies were identified by the lab within 48 hours.

Caretaker provincial Health Minister Dr Saad Khalid Niaz did not respond to Dawn queries regarding the issue.