The Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI) is a light infantry regiment in the Pakistan Army, based and currently headquartered in Gilgit, Pakistan. Along with other forces of the Pakistani military, the NLI has the primary responsibility of conducting ground operations in the interest of defending the strategically-important territory of Gilgit−Baltistan, a Pakistani-controlled region that constitutes part of Kashmir, which has been disputed between Pakistan and India since 1947. The NLI draws a majority of its recruits from native tribes present in the nearby mountainous areas who are reportedly less prone to altitude sickness and the cold temperatures that characterize high-altitude mountain warfare, allowing the regiment to conduct its duties optimally.
The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The regiment takes its name from the historic Punjab region, which is now divided into the Punjab province of Pakistan and the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. It was raised in its current form in 1956, following the amalgamation of the 1st, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab regiments that were inherited by the Dominion of Pakistan from the British Indian Army upon the Partition of India. Since then, the regiment has expanded in size to 63 battalions.
The Parachute Regiment is an airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1945 as part of the British Indian Army but was disbanded after World War II and was re-raised in 1952 as part of the Indian Army. Currently it consists of fifteen Special Forces, two Territorial Army and one Rashtriya Rifles battalions.
The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the Piffers in reference to their military history as the PIF of the British Indian Army, or as the FF. The regiment takes its name from the historic North-West Frontier, a former province of British India and later Pakistan.
The Sindh Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army established on 1 July 1980. The regiment takes its name from Sindh province in southern Pakistan. Prior to its formation there had been no regiment in the Pakistan Army specifically intended to recruit primarily from the Sindhi population. The regimental centre is located in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan.
Para (Special Forces), also known as Para Commandos or Para (SF) Commandos, is a group of special forces battalions of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian Army. These units specialize in various roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, counter-insurgency and direct action.
The Pakistan Rangers are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers and the Sindh Rangers. There is also a third corps headquarters in Islamabad but is only for units transferred from the other corps for duties in the federal capital. They are both part of the Civil Armed Forces. The corps' operate administratively under the Pakistan Army but under separate command structures and wear distinctly different uniforms. However, they are usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend the approximately 2,200 km (1,400 mi) long border with neighbouring India. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regular Pakistani military and provide assistance to municipal and provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest. In addition, the Punjab Rangers, together with the Indian Border Security Force, participate in an elaborate flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah−Attari border crossing east of Lahore.
Law enforcement in Pakistan is one of the three main components of the criminal justice system of Pakistan, alongside the judiciary and the prisons. The country has a mix of federal, provincial and territorial police forces with both general and specialised functions, but the senior ranks of all the provincial forces and most of the federal ones are manned by members of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP). The PSP is one of the most prestigious part of the Central Superior Services, Pakistan's main civil service organisation. Federal law enforcement agencies are generally overseen by the Ministry of Interior of the Government of Pakistan, while provincial police forces are overseen by a department of the government of that province.
The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to 27 battalions. The Baloch Regiment is descended from the infantry of the old British Indian Army and is named after Balochistan. Before 1991, it was called the Baluch Regiment but the spelling was changed to 'Baloch' to better reflect the correct pronunciation.
The Frontier Force Regiment of the Pakistan Army consists of battalions with their own history. Most were formed after independence, but some are much older.
The Azad Kashmir Regiment, also known as AK Regt, is one of the six infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army. The regiment takes its name from Azad Kashmir, which is the Pakistani-administered territory of the Kashmir region. As per the order of seniority, it is the fourth regiment, but was the first to be raised after the independence of Pakistan from British colonial rule. Its regimental Centre is located at Mansar camp in Attock District, on the border of Punjab and KPK provinces. The regiment has participated in all major and minor operations and wars fought by the army. Notable commanders of the regiment include lieutenant general Haroon Aslam, an ex-commander of Pakistan Army Special Service Group who led the SSG operation in Swat in 2009, and lieutenant general Hidayat ur Rehman, who commanded Operation al-Mizan and operation Zarb e Azab in FATA from 2014 to 2016.
The structure of the Pakistan Army is based on two distinct themes: operational and administrative. Operationally the Pakistan Army is divided into nine corps and three corps-level formations with areas of responsibility (AOR) ranging from the mountainous regions of the north to the desert and coastal regions of the south. Administratively it is divided in several regiments. The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Army is located in Rawalpindi in Punjab province. It is planned to be moved to the capital city of Islamabad nearby.
There are or have been a number of separatist movements in Pakistan based on ethnic and regional nationalism, that have agitated for independence, and sometimes fighting the Pakistan state at various times during its history. As in many other countries, tension arises from the perception of minority/less powerful ethnic groups that other ethnicities dominate the politics and economics of the country to the detriment of those with less power and money. The government of Pakistan has attempted to subdue these separatist movements, which have included those in Bangladesh, the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) in Balochistan; the "Sindhudesh" movement in Sindh province; "Balawaristan" in Gilgit-Baltistan; Jinnahpur and Muhajir Sooba movement for muhajir immigrants from India.
The Armoured Corps of the Pakistan Army is a combat branch tasked with armoured warfare. Equipped with more than 3,742 main battle tanks, the corps is headquartered in the garrison town of Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The corps has only administrative control of its component regiments. The regiments are deployed in a number of field formations including two armoured divisions, two mechanised divisions, and a number of independent armoured brigades.
19th Battalion The Baloch Regiment is one of the oldest Light Anti-Tank Regiment of Pakistan Army. Initially raised as the Machine Gun Battalion of 10th Baluch Regiment in 1942, it was first designated as 53rd Regiment, Indian Armoured Corps and then re-designated as 17/10th Baluch. This unit has the unique honour of being the parent unit of Pakistan Army's special forces known as Special Service Group. Prominent officers including General Mirza Aslam Beg, General Pervez Musharraf have served in the unit and Maj Gen Abrar Hussain and Maj Gen Aboobaker Osman Mitha also known as AO Mitha have commanded this unit.
The Pakistan Army Special Service Group or SSG is the special forces unit of the Pakistan Army. They are also known by their nickname of "Maroon Berets" due to their headgear.
The Punjab Rangers is a paramilitary federal law enforcement corps in Pakistan. It is one of nine Civil Armed Forces and is one of two Ranger corps' with the other one being the Sindh Rangers, which operates in Sindh province. The corps operates administratively under the Interior Ministry of Pakistan but is usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend about 1,300 km (810 mi) of the northern part of the border with neighbouring India. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regular Pakistani military and provide assistance to municipal and provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest.
The Mujahid Force is a regiment and a paramilitary component of the National Guard of Pakistan, normally under the command of the Pakistan Army. Its mission is to support and supplement the regular Army during national emergencies and war and its headquarters is in Bhimber, Azad Kashmir, established in 1992.
The Civil Armed Forces (CAF) are a group of nine paramilitary, uniformed organisations, separate and distinct from the regular "military" Pakistan Armed Forces. They are responsible for maintaining internal security, helping law enforcement agencies, border control, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, riot control, and anti-smuggling under the Ministry of Interior. They frequently operate alongside the Pakistani military in response to natural disasters. They come under the direct command of the Ministry of Defence and the Pakistani military during wartime.
The 1st Battalion, Sindh Regiment is an infantry battalion of the Sindh Regiment of the Pakistan Army.
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