During his address, the premier noted that both houses of

Parliament had recently passed The Fair Trial Bill to "plug legal loopholes invoked by criminals". This, he said, would strengthen law enforcement agencies allowing them to present evidence that was previously inadmissible in courts. The Fair Trial Bill 2012, was passed by the Senate or upper house of parliament on Friday. It was passed by the National Assembly or lower house on December 20. Once the President gives his assent, the law will empower intelligence and security agencies to tap phone calls, monitor emails and gather data from SMSs and other means of communication as part of the war on terrorism. The electronic data gathered by security agencies will be accepted in court in cases registered under five security-related laws. However, the law has been criticised by rights groups, which say it poses a threat to privacy and civil liberties. Ashraf sought to address these concerns, saying: "Let me state very clearly, that these powers are meant to curb terrorism and violence. "In no way is it a license to suppress human rights or dent human dignity. A democracy cannot allow a police state". At the same time, he said old concepts of policing must give way to an innovative approach in view of the varied nature of challenges. "Obsolete methods of investigation and evidence collection employed by the police need to be shunned. There is a need for increased reliance on scientific methods of investigation," he added. In this connection, authorities will have to strengthen forensic capabilities and modernise investigative techniques and tools of evidence collection. The National Police Academy and training institutions need to take up training in investigation as a specialised subject. The government is prepared to allocate additional resources and fund any plan, including hiring of foreign trainers and training of police officials abroad, Ashraf said.