NFA to extend forensic expertise to CCP

ISLAMABAD: The National Forensics Agency (NFA) will extend its specialised digital, document and other forensic expertise to the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), giving the competition watchdog access to scientific and technical capabilities for investigations involving increasingly complex electronic and digital evidence. On Thursday, the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the CCP’s investigative and enforcement capabilities through forensic examination, technical support, capacity building, and knowledge sharing. The MoU was signed in the presence of CCP Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar and NFA Director General Jawad Ahmad Dogar at the CCP headquarters in Islamabad. CCP Member Bushra Naz Malik and senior officials of both institutions also attended the ceremony. In his welcome remarks, Chairman CCP Farid Ahmad Tarar termed the signing of the MoU an important step towards stronger institutional cooperation. “Effective enforcement increasingly depends on reliable evidence, scientific analysis, and specialised technical expertise, alongside a strong legal framework and effective enforcement tools and techniques. This partnership will strengthen our investigative capabilities and enable the Commission to benefit from NFA’s forensic expertise, ” he said. Tarar added that forensic capability was becoming increasingly important as commercial activities and evidence are now moving into the digital domain. Cooperation with the NFA, he said, would help the CCP respond more effectively to the evolving challenges of competition enforcement, particularly where investigations involve complex digital and electronic evidence. For a competition regulator, access to such expertise can be particularly relevant where establishing anti-competitive conduct requires examination and analysis of business communications, documents and other electronic material gathered during an investigation. NFA Director General Jawad Ahmad Dogar described the CCP as an important national institution whose work contributes to creating a level playing field and protecting citizens’ rights. He briefed participants on the evolution of the NFA and the specialised forensic capabilities developed by the Agency, and offered technical assistance to the CCP in digital, document and other forensic disciplines. Dogar reaffirmed the NFA’s commitment to extending its expertise and technical support to the CCP and described the MoU as the beginning of a long-term institutional relationship between the two organisations. Under the arrangement, the NFA’s scientific and specialised capabilities will be available to support the handling and analysis of evidence relevant to competition law investigations. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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