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DNA test in Pakistan: paternity, court orders and what the law says

How DNA paternity and identity tests work, when Pakistani courts order them, who pays, why consent matters and how to choose a laboratory whose report will hold up.

Forensic Science Pakistan3 min read

A training session in a seminar hall

People look for a DNA test in Pakistan for very different reasons: to settle a paternity dispute, to identify a missing relative, or because a criminal case depends on biological evidence. The laboratory science is the same in each case. What changes is how the samples are collected, who orders the test and whether the report will be accepted in court.

What a DNA test compares

Almost all relationship and identity testing uses STR profiling: the laboratory counts repeated sequences at 20 or more places (loci) in the genome. A child inherits one version of each marker from the mother and one from the father, so a man who lacks the paternal version at several loci is excluded. When every locus matches, the report expresses the strength of the result as a probability or likelihood ratio rather than a bare “yes”.

Types of DNA test

  • Paternity: compares a child with an alleged father, ideally with the mother’s sample too, which makes the result stronger.
  • Maternity: the same comparison with the mother, used in hospital mix-ups and adoption cases.
  • Kinship and siblings: Y-chromosome markers follow the father’s line and mitochondrial DNA the mother’s, so relatives can stand in when a parent is dead or missing.
  • Identification of remains: used after disasters and in missing-person cases, often on degraded bone or teeth, the same problems studied in ancient DNA research.
  • Criminal casework: comparing stains and swabs from a crime scene with suspects and victims.

A test you arrange privately only answers a personal question. For a court, the laboratory must be able to show whose sample it tested: identities are checked when samples are taken, each sample is sealed and signed, and every hand-over is recorded in a chain of custody. A swab collected at home, with no one verifying who gave it, cannot prove that.

When Pakistani courts order a DNA test

Most legal paternity tests in Pakistan start with an application to a court, and the court decides whether a test is justified, which laboratory performs it and who pays.

  • The presumption of legitimacy is strong. The Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984 treats a child born during a valid marriage as legitimate, and courts are reluctant to let DNA evidence displace that presumption.
  • Courts watch for tactical requests. The Lahore High Court has criticised fathers who demand DNA tests to avoid paying maintenance, and in one Rawalpindi case ordered the man who challenged paternity to pay for the tests.
  • Consent matters. In 2019 the Supreme Court held that an adult woman cannot be compelled to give a sample, because it would violate her liberty, dignity and privacy, and the Lahore High Court refused a test in an inheritance dispute on similar grounds (PLD 2017 Lahore 604).
  • False accusations have consequences. A man who disowned his child and accused his former wife has been convicted under the Qazf Ordinance.

In rape cases the position is different: since 2013 the Supreme Court has required DNA testing and the preservation of samples. We cover those judgments in DNA evidence in Pakistani courts.

Cost and turnaround

There is no reliable public price list for DNA tests in Pakistan. Prices depend on the laboratory, how many people are tested and whether the test is done under legal chain of custody, so ask each laboratory for a written quote. The laboratory work itself can take a day, but reports usually take days to weeks because of case queues, reviews and reporting.

How to choose a laboratory

  • Is it accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, for example by the Pakistan National Accreditation Council?
  • How many STR loci does it test, and will it add Y-STR or mtDNA markers if a parent is unavailable?
  • Does it collect samples itself, with identity checks and chain-of-custody forms?
  • Will its analysts give evidence in court if the report is challenged?
  • Does the report state a likelihood ratio and explain what it means?

Getting independent advice

If you are a lawyer, investigator or family member weighing a DNA report, an independent forensic geneticist can explain what it does and does not prove. Contact Dr Inamullah for case reviews and training.

Sources

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