PESHAWAR: The lacunas in medico-legal practices that often undermine criminal prosecutions were thoroughly discussed at a one-day interactive session held at the District Judiciary Swabi, in the wake of a key ruling of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in the Asifullah vs State case.
The session, jointly organised by the District Judiciary Swabi and the Bacha Khan Medical Complex (BKMC)-MTI, brought together judicial officers, prosecutors, lawyers, medico-legal officers, and medical practitioners to examine procedural lapses affecting the quality of evidence and, ultimately, the outcome of trials.
District and Sessions Judge, Swabi, Ashfaq Taj, said deficiencies in evidence preservation, delays in medico-legal reporting, and gaps in documentation continued to weaken prosecution cases.
Referring to the high court judgement, he stressed the need for closer coordination between investigators, medical professionals, and the judiciary to ensure that cases were decided on the strength of reliable evidence.
Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the Gajju Khan Medical College, Prof Dr Masuduz Zaman, outlined standard procedures for medico-legal examinations, including injury assessment and post-mortem reporting.
