PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province inaugurated its first DNA laboratory at Khyber Medical College (KMC) on Tuesday.
Among the attendees at the ceremony were KP’s leading molecular biologists and the provincial government’s health secretary, Abid Majeed.
“When I joined Khyber Medical College in 2013, we only had a PCR machine, which is just one of the components of a DNA lab,” said KMC Principal Dr. Noorul Iman. “Today, our vision for a proper DNA-testing facility has materialized.”
Talking to Arab News, he said that the DNA lab had state-of-the-art American equipment and had cost Rs45 million ($405,900).
Asked how much the lab would charge for performing a DNA test, he said it would “hopefully be less than the Punjab Forensic Science Agency’s Rs25,000,” but added that no final pricing decision has yet been made.
Iman said the DNA lab should have been finished in 2013, but was delayed due to lack of funds. “However, the recent cases of child abuse in the province and other parts of the country have led to public awareness and probably influenced the provincial authorities’ decision to bankroll the project,” he said.
Jamil Khan, a molecular biologist who will be working at the lab, said he had previously worked at the National Forensic Science Agency, Islamabad and performed DNA tests in the wake of the 2007 Red Mosque operation in the federal capital and after the 2012 Baldia Town factory fire in Karachi.
Police Superintendent Shahzada Kokab Farooq told Arab News that, until now, law enforcement agencies in KP had to send samples to Lahore or Islamabad for DNA testing.
“DNA testing is required to identify individuals in various cases, such as suicide attacks, murders and sexual assaults,” he explained. “Setting up the lab in Peshawar will save time and make it easier for us to investigate important cases.”
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province opens first DNA laboratory
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province opens first DNA laboratory
Pakistan, Jordan discuss defense cooperation amid flurry of high-level contacts
- Field Marshal Asim Munir hosted Maj Gen Yousef Ahmed A. Al Huneiti of Jordan in Rawalpindi
- Munir visited Amman in October, followed by King Abdullah II’s trip to Pakistan the next month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met the chairman of Jordan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday to discuss defense and military cooperation, the Pakistani military said in a statement, amid a recent uptick in high-level engagement between the two countries.
Major General Yousef Ahmed A. Al Huneiti, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordan Armed Forces, called on Munir at Pakistan’s military headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics, and avenues for enhanced bilateral defense and military cooperation,” ISPR said.
“Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening defense ties with Jordan and emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to address evolving security challenges,” it added.
The meeting follows a series of senior-level interactions between the two countries this year. Munir paid an official visit to Jordan in October, while Jordan’s military leadership has also engaged with Pakistan’s top brass in recent months.
In November, Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited Pakistan for talks with the country’s civilian and military leadership.
Pakistan and Jordan have long maintained cordial relations, including defense cooperation and military training links, though senior-level exchanges have been relatively infrequent.
Both countries were also among eight Muslim-majority states whose top leaders participated in discussions with United States President Donald Trump in September on proposals aimed at ending the war in Gaza and issued joint statements with other countries over the situation in West Asia in recent months.
ISPR said the meeting concluded with a shared resolve to further deepen military-to-military cooperation between Pakistan and Jordan.
