Civil Armed Forces

Pakistani paramilitary forces

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Civil Armed Forces" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

This article is about Pakistani paramilitary forces. It is not to be confused with Pakistan Armed Forces.

Civil Armed Forces

Service branches|

* 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
* Pakistan Maritime Security Agency
* Airports Security Force
* Anti Narcotics Force

Headquarters| Ministry of Interior, Islamabad
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief|  President Arif Alvi
Prime Minister|  Shehbaz Sharif
Minister of Defence|  Khawaja Asif
Defence Secretary|  LT Gen (R) Hamood Uz Zaman
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff|  General Sahir Shamshad Mirza
Personnel
Military age| 16–23[1]
Active personnel| 1,000,000
Industry
Domestic suppliers|

List

* Air Weapons Complex
* Heavy Industries Taxila
* Global Industrial Defence Solutions
* Defence Science and Technology Organization
* Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works
* Kahuta Research Laboratories
* NESCOM
* National Defence Complex
* Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
* Pakistan Ordnance Factories
* Metallurgical Laboratory
* Integrated Dynamics

Related articles
History|

* Military history of Pakistan
* Wars Involving Pakistan

Ranks| Army ranks and insignia
Naval ranks and insignia
Air Force ranks and insignia

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.

## History[edit]

Some CAF units were originally raised in the colonial era on the frontiers of the empire, and played a key role in the consolidation of control by building a link between the state and communities in strategically sensitive frontier areas through recruitment to government service. In many areas paramilitary units continue to play exactly the same historical role decades after independence.

The CAF are currently undergoing significant expansion of some (57) additional 'wings' approved for raising in the 2015–16 to deal with the challenging internal and border security environment and to provide security for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), co-ordinated by a new 2-star command raised in September 2016, the Special Security Division.[2]

The CAF are paid for from the budget of the Ministry of Interior which also provides administrative support. However they are (with the exception of the Frontier Constabulary) commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. They function under the operational control of army corps headquarters, not just in war time but whenever Article 245 of the Pakistani Constitution is invoked to provide 'military aid to civil power', for example in Karachi since 2015,[3] and in Punjab since February 2017.[4][5]

## List of forces[edit]

Colonel Masud, Commandant of the Frontier Corps' Pishin Scouts (right), presents U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrator Karen P. Tandy (left) with his unit ballcap in Chaman, Balochistan, Pakistan, September 2007

There are a total of ten forces, although some of them share names.[6] They can also have their command transferred to the Ministry of Defence, and effectively combined to form a reserve force for the Pakistani military during times of war.

* Punjab Rangers
* Headquartered in Lahore.
* Divided into five forces, each composed of several battalion-sized "wings" of approximately 800 men each.
* This force has a border security role on the Punjab provincial external border with India. It also performs internal security duties (counter-insurgency, counter-gang, public order, etc.) under the operational control of Pakistan Army corps commanders.[7]

* Sindh Rangers
* Headquartered in Karachi.
* Divided into seven forces, each composed of several battalion-sized "wings" of approximately 800 men each.
* This force has a border security role on the Sindh provincial external border with India. It also performs internal security duties (counter-insurgency, counter-gang, public order, etc.) under the operational control of Pakistan Army corps commanders.[7]

* Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)
* Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
* Headquartered in Peshawar.
* Composed of eleven infantry and one armoured regiments, each formed from several battalion-sized "wings".
* Under the command of the Army's XI Corps, the force has been in the forefront of counter-insurgency operations against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and foreign militants since 2003.

* Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)
* Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
* Headquartered in Dera Ismail Khan.
* Composed of ten infantry regiments, each formed from several battalion-sized "wings".
* Under the command of the XI Corps, the force has been in the forefront of counter-insurgency operations against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and foreign militants since 2003.

* Frontier Corps Balochistan (North)
* Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Balochistan.
* Headquartered in Quetta.
* Composed of ten infantry regiments, each formed from several battalion-sized "wings".
* Under the command of the XII Corps, the force has been in the forefront of counter-insurgency operations against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch separatists.

* Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)
* Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Balochistan.
* Headquartered in Turbat.
* Composed of ten infantry regiments, each formed from several battalion-sized "wings".
* Under the command of the XII Corps, the force has been in the forefront of counter-insurgency operations against Baloch separatists.

* Frontier Constabulary
* Formed in 1915.
* Headquartered in Peshawar Cantonment.
* This is a gendarmerie that operates in the border districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which were formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas; unlike the Frontier Corps it is commanded by officers from the Police Service of Pakistan.

* Pakistan Coast Guards
* Formed in 1973.
* Headquartered in Karachi.
* The force should not be confused with the Maritime Security Agency, which is a coast guard in the Pakistan Navy. This force is charged with protecting the coastal areas of Balochistan and Sindh Province. It is largely a shore-based force with a particular focus on combatting smuggling. It is commanded by a one-star rank brigadier from the Pakistan Army.
* Pakistan Maritime Security Agency
* Created in 1987
* Headquartered in Karachi
* Consisted of 2000 active duty personnel
* Enforces maritime laws over the domestic and international waters of Pakistan including exclusive economic zone.
* Gilgit Baltistan Scouts
* Formed in 2003 as a replacement CAF after the previously paramilitary Northern Light Infantry was converted into a regular infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army in recognition of their performance and heavy losses during the Kargil War.
* Headquartered in Gilgit.
* Composed of six battalion-sized "wings".
* Under the command of the Army's Force Command Northern Areas, the force has been involved in providing security for infrastructure projects in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.
* Airports Security Force
* Formed in 1976
* Headquartered in Karachi
* The ASF is an 8,945-personnel organisation.
* The ASF is a federal airport security force agency under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation which is responsible for protecting the airports, facilities and the planes (on-ground or in-air) in Pakistan.
* Anti Narcotics Force
* Formed in 1995
* Headquartered in Rawalpindi
* Tasked with combating the narcotics smuggling and use within Pakistan

* 50 Aviation Squadron of the Ministry of Interior is the nucleus of an air wing designed to provide additional air support to CAFs, including in disaster relief and medical evacuations.[8]

## Ranks[edit]

Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers  | Officer cadet

|
|
|
|

Pakistan Rangers

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Director general
ڈائریکٹر جنرل | Senior superintendent
of the Rangers
سینئر سپرنٹنڈنٹ۔ | Superintendent
of the Rangers
سپرنٹنڈنٹ | Deputy superintendent
of the Rangers
ڈپٹی سپرنٹنڈنٹ۔ | Inspector
انسپکٹر | Direct Entry Sub inspector
ڈائریکٹ انٹری سب انسپکٹر۔ |

Pakistan
Frontier Constabulary

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Commandant
کمانڈنٹ | Deputy commandant
ڈپٹی کمانڈنٹ۔ | District officer
ضلعی افسر۔ | Assistant district officer
اسسٹنٹ ڈسٹرکٹ آفیسر۔ |  |

Gilgit−Baltistan Scouts

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brigadier
بریگیڈیئر | Colonel
کرنل | Lieutenant colonel
لیفٹیننٹ کرنل | Major
میجر | Captain
کیپٹن | Lieutenant
لیفٹنینٹ | Second lieutenant
سیکنڈ لیفٹیننٹ |

Pakistan Coast Guards

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Major general
میجر جنرل | Brigadier
بریگیڈیئر | Colonel
کرنل | Lieutenant colonel
لیفٹیننٹ کرنل | Major
میجر | Captain
کیپٹن | Lieutenant
لیفٹنینٹ | Second lieutenant
سیکنڈ لیفٹیننٹ |

Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers  | Officer cadet
Rank group | Junior commissioned officers | Non commissioned officer | Enlisted

|
|
|

Pakistan Rangers

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia
Senior inspector
سینئر انسپکٹر۔ | Inspector
انسپکٹر | Sub inspector
سب انسپکٹر۔ | Havildar
حوالدار۔ | Naik
نائیک۔ | Lance Naik
لانس نائیک۔ | Sepoy
سپاہی۔

Pakistan
Frontier Constabulary

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia
Inspector
انسپکٹر | Sub inspector
سب انسپکٹر۔ | Assistant sub inspector
اسسٹنٹ سب انسپکٹر۔ | Head Constable
ہیڈ کانسٹیبل۔ | Constable
کانسٹیبل

Gilgit−Baltistan Scouts

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia
Subedar-Major
صوبیدار میجر | Subedar
صوبیدار | Naib Subedar
نائب صوبیدار | Havildar
حوالدار۔ | Naik
نائیک۔ | Lance Naik
لانس نائیک۔ | Sepoy
سپاہی۔

Pakistan Coast Guards

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia
Subedar-Major
صوبیدار میجر | Subedar
صوبیدار | Naib Subedar
نائب صوبیدار | Havildar
حوالدار۔ | Naik
نائیک۔ | Lance Naik
لانس نائیک۔ | Sepoy
سپاہی۔
Rank group | Junior commissioned officers | Non commissioned officer | Enlisted

## See also[edit]

* Law enforcement in Pakistan
* Pakistan Armed Forces
* National Guard (Pakistan)
* Pakistan Levies

## References[edit]

1. ^ "South Asia :: Pakistan — The World Factbook". un.org. CIA. 16 November 2021.
2. ^ Uploader (15 August 2016). "NAP decision: 29 new wings of civil armed forces to be raised". Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
3. ^ "COAS directs Karachi Corps to step up rescue work". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
4. ^ "Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan: Between the Kashmir conflict and China". Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan: Between the Kashmir conflict and China. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
5. ^ "No link with recent GB, upcoming AJK polls: ECP". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
6. ^ "20 Months Achievements" (PDF). National Database and Registration Authority. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
7. ^ a b "Pakistan Rangers (Sindh)". Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
8. ^ "20 Months Achievements" (PDF). National Database and Registration Authority. p. 12-14. Retrieved 27 December 2022.

## External links[edit]

* CIA World Factbook 2005

* v
* t
* e

Civil Armed Forces (Pakistan)

Frontier Corps|

* Balochistan (North)
* Balochistan (South)
* Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)
* Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)

Pakistan Rangers|

* Punjab Rangers
* Sindh Rangers

Others|

* Frontier Constabulary
* Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts
* Pakistan Coast Guards

See also: Pakistan Armed Forces, National Guard and Levies

* v
* t
* e

Pakistan Armed Forces

Military history of Pakistan

Leadership|

* Prime Minister
* Chief Executive
* President
* Commander-in-Chief
* Cabinet Committee on National Security
* Senate Committee on Defence
* National Assembly Committee on Defence

| Ministers|

* Defence
* Secretary
* Defence Production

|

Joint Chiefs of Staff|

* Chairman
* Chief of Army Staff
* Chief of Air Staff
* Chief of Naval Staff

Criticism|

* Establishment
* Gang of Four
* Bangladesh genocide

Services|

* Army
* Air Force
* Navy
* Marines

| Inter-Services|

* Band
* Intelligence
* Public Relations
* Selection Board
* National Command Authority
* Border Coordination Centers
* Nursing Service

|

Paramilitary|

* Civil Armed Forces
* National Guard
* Pakistan Levies

Personnel|

* Armed Forces Band
* Awards and decorations
* Women

| Ranks and insignia|

* Air Force
* Army
* Coast Guards
* Navy
* Marines

|

Business interests|

* Defence industry
* Army Welfare Trust
* Defence Housing

| Foundations|

* Bahria (Navy)
* Fauji (Army)
* Shaheen (Air Force)

|

Categories (Army • Air Force • Navy)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template