THE CRISIS OF FORENSIC RELIABILITY IN PAKISTAN: AN ANALYSIS OF WEAK CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY PRACTICES AND THEIR IMPACT ON CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

Abstract

Forensic evidence is an essential part of modern criminal justice systems, which serve as a key junction through which empirical truth in the scientific domain can be reconciled with formal legal adjudication. In Pakistan, on the other hand, reliability of the forensic evidence is seriously compromised by a continuing weakness in chain-of-custody routes. The given paper systematically examines the impact which institutional fragmentation, lack of standardization of procedures, inadequate training, and poor documentation have on the loss of forensic integrity and consequently, a negative impact of conviction outcomes. Through qualitative analytic approach methodology that should be coupled with comparative legal and policy analysis, the study measures the present-day forensic practices against international standards like ISO/IEC 17025. The results point to the fact that the impact of chain-of-custody failures is a regular polluting of evidence, breeding judicial distrust, contributing to acquittals, and undermining the trust that people have in the criminal justice system. The paper argues that only evolution of technology cannot address these problems without accompanied legal reforms, capacity development, and cultural change towards the direction of evidence-based justice. Based on this, it proposes an inclusive policy framework of focusing on the use of standardized operating procedures, digital evidence-tracking systems, specific judicial training, and independent judicial oversight in the form of forensic experts. Chain-of-custody procedures need to be reinforced to facilitate fair convictions, protection of due process rights and credibility to the criminal justice system in Pakistan.