Paramilitary forces of Pakistan

Paramilitary forces of Pakistan
Flag of Pakistan
Active	Varies by force
Country	Pakistan
Allegiance	Government of Pakistan
Branch	Ministry of Interior (primarily), Pakistan Armed Forces (support role)
Type	Paramilitary forces
Role	Internal security, border security, law enforcement, counter-insurgency
Part of	Ministry of Interior (primarily), Pakistan Armed Forces (support role)
Garrison/HQ	Various locations (national deployment)
Motto(s)	Varies by force

The paramilitary forces of Pakistan operate alongside the regular military and police forces to maintain internal security, border security, and law enforcement. These forces are generally administered by the Ministry of Interior, although several units operate in coordination with the Pakistan Armed Forces. The term paramilitary forces of Pakistan commonly refers to the following organizations:

• Civil Armed Forces
  • Punjab Rangers
  • Sindh Rangers
  • Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)
  • Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)
  • Frontier Corps Balochistan (North)
  • Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)
  • Frontier Constabulary
  • Pakistan Coast Guards
  • Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts
• Airports Security Force
• Pakistan Maritime Security Agency
• Anti Narcotics Force
• National Guard
  • Mujahid Force
  • Janbaz Force
  • National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) (disbanded)
  • Women's Guard (disbanded)
• Pakistan Levies (partially disbanded)
  • Balochistan Levies
  • Dir Levies
  • Gilgit-Baltistan Levies Force
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Levies
  • Malakand Levies

Paramilitary forces of Pakistan

Name	Status	Operates under	Headquarters	Primary Roles
Punjab Rangers	Active	Ministry of Interior	Lahore	Part of Pakistan Rangers; active in Punjab.
Sindh Rangers	Active	Ministry of Interior	Karachi	Part of Pakistan Rangers; active in Sindh.
Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Peshawar	Border security (Afghanistan), counter-insurgency, law and order in tribal regions.
Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Dera Ismail Khan	Border security, counter-insurgency operations.
Frontier Corps Balochistan (North)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Quetta	Border security (Iran), counter-insurgency in Balochistan.
Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Turbat	Counter-insurgency, law enforcement in southern Balochistan.
Frontier Constabulary	Active	Ministry of Interior	Peshawar	Security in KP and former FATA, key installation protection.
Pakistan Coast Guards	Active	Ministry of Interior	Karachi	Coastal security, anti-smuggling, patrolling Arabian Sea coastline.
Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts	Active	Ministry of Interior	Gilgit	Internal security, border patrolling, law enforcement in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Airports Security Force	Active	Ministry of Aviation	Karachi	Aviation security, protection of airports and aircraft.
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency	Active	Ministry of Defence	Karachi	Maritime law enforcement, protection of Pakistan's sea borders.
Anti Narcotics Force	Active	Ministry of Narcotics Control	Rawalpindi	Combating drug trafficking, enforcing anti-narcotics laws.
National Guard (Pakistan)	Active	Ministry of Defence	Various	Reserve paramilitary force supporting regular army and civil defense.
Mujahid Force	Active	Ministry of Defence	Various	Army reserve component; support during emergencies.
Janbaz Force	Active	Ministry of Defence	Various	Volunteer reserve force; local defense and assistance in national emergencies.
National Cadet Corps (Pakistan)	Disbanded	Ministry of Defence	N/A	Previously trained students for military service (disbanded).
Women's Guard	Disbanded	Ministry of Defence	N/A	Women's auxiliary service for national emergencies.
Pakistan Levies	Partially Disbanded	Ministry of Interior	Various	Tribal policing in rural and tribal areas (partially merged into KP Police post-2018).
Balochistan Levies	Active	Ministry of Interior	Quetta	Law enforcement in rural Balochistan.
Dir Levies	Active	Ministry of Interior	Dir	Local policing force in Dir District, KP.
Gilgit-Baltistan Levies Force	Active	Ministry of Interior	Gilgit	Local policing force in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Levies	Active	Ministry of Interior	Various	Regional law enforcement in KP.
Malakand Levies	Active	Ministry of Interior	Malakand	Local policing in Malakand Division, KP.
Chitral Scouts	Active	Ministry of Interior	Chitral	Border security, local law enforcement in Chitral District.

Former paramilitary forces

• Al-Badr in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
• Al-Shams in East Pakistan
• Azad Kashmir Regular Force (now the fully military Azad Kashmir Regiment)
• East Pakistan Rifles (now the Border Guards Bangladesh)
• Federal Security Force, a secret police from 1972-1977
• Gilgit Scouts (now the fully military Northern Light Infantry Regiment but see Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts above)
• Khasadar, disbanded in 2019
• Mehran Force, replaced by the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh)
• Razakar in East Pakistan

Former and Historical Paramilitary Forces of Pakistan

Name	Status	Notes
Al-Badr (East Pakistan)	Disbanded	Paramilitary force active during the Bangladesh Liberation War (1971).
Al-Shams (East Pakistan)	Disbanded	Paramilitary group allied with Pakistan Army during 1971 conflict.
Azad Kashmir Regular Force	Transitioned	Became the Azad Kashmir Regiment, part of Pakistan Army.
East Pakistan Rifles	Transitioned	Became Border Guards Bangladesh after 1971.
Federal Security Force (Pakistan)	Disbanded	Secret police force operating from 1972 to 1977 under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Gilgit Scouts	Transitioned	Became Northern Light Infantry Regiment of Pakistan Army; see also Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts.
Khasadar	Disbanded	Tribal police force disbanded in 2019 after FATA merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Mehran Force	Absorbed	Absorbed into Sindh Rangers.
Razakar (East Pakistan)	Disbanded	Paramilitary force allied with Pakistan during Bangladesh Liberation War.

See also

• Law enforcement in Pakistan