ISLAMABAD: The decades-old mechanism of recording statements of witnesses, applicants and suspects by summoning them to official premises has been abandoned and replaced with a new method whereby testimonies will be recorded through video link at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Shortly after inaugurating the facility, the statement of an 80-year-old witness was recorded through video link. This facility has been introduced for the territorial jurisdiction of FIA (Islamabad Zone) only.

According to the statement issued by FIA Director General Sanaullah Abbasi, inauguration of the e-investigation programme is a step towards digitalisation and will make things easier.

Applicants, witnesses will now be able to record statements through video link

The initiative includes collection of initial data through emails and other useful applications instead of physical collection of information which is time consuming. In this regard, 80 laptops with portable internet devices have been given to investigation officers (IOs) and they were also trained. After formal inauguration of the pilot project, Mr Abbasi interacted with applicants through video link as their statements were recorded.

At the inauguration, Mr Abbasi advised IOs to use modern techniques that would prove to not only be beneficial for applicants, witnesses, alleged persons but also for FIA officers as cases would be finalised swiftly. This system, he said, would help operations at the agency move from laborious file work towards digital investigation techniques.

E-investigation will particularly help during conditions similar to the pandemic and will prevent the spread of diseases as people will be interviewed from their homes, he said, adding that it will help senior citizens, government officials and overseas Pakistanis to record their statements from their homes or work places.

Suspects will also be allowed to send their statements from wherever they are comfortable without fear of coercion like the FIA Commercial Banking Circle (CBC) recorded the version of an alleged person who resides in Virginia, United States by using e-investigation techniques. Relevant record was collected from him through email.

Similarly, in an Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) case, the statement of a senior citizen who lives in Karachi was recorded as due to his health, he could not travel to Islamabad. The case had been pending for months before this was done.

Another witness, whose statement was recorded, was a senior scientist in a government agency from Dera Ismail Khan; he was working on an important assignment and was unable to come to the FIA Office due to which the inquiry was getting delayed.

The efforts of FIA Director Waqar Ahmad Chohan towards implementation of this project in the shortest possible time were appreciated.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2022