Civil Armed Forces
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The Civil Armed Forces (CAF) are a group of nine
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
and
gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
organisations, separate and distinct from the regular
Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...
. They are responsible for maintaining internal security, helping
law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
,
border control Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
,
counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...
and
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
,
riot control Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...
, and anti-smuggling under the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
. They frequently operate alongside the Pakistani military in response to
natural disasters A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...
. During times of war they can have their command transferred to the
Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
, and effectively combined to form a
reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional ma ...
for the Pakistani military.


History

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), coordinated by a new 2-star command raised in September 2016, the
Special Security Division The 34th Light Infantry Division, also known as Special Security Division (SSD), is a 2-star Pakistan Army formation, raised in September 2016 as a response to major concerns over how to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its ...
. 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, and in Punjab since February 2017.


List of forces


Civil Armed Forces (CAF)

*
Punjab Rangers The Punjab Rangers (formally Pakistan Rangers (Punjab)) () is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan. It is one of nine Civil Armed Forces and is one of two Ranger forces with the other one being the Sindh Rangers, which operates in Sindh, Si ...
** Headquartered in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
. ** Divided into five commands, each composed of several
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
-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. *
Sindh Rangers The Sindh Rangers (formally Pakistan Rangers Sindh) (Sindhi language, Sindhi:سنڌ رينجرز) is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan. It is one of nine Civil Armed Forces and is one of two Ranger forces with the other one being the Pun ...
** Headquartered in
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
. ** Divided into seven commands, 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. *
Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) The Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) (, reporting name: FCKP(N)), is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan, operating in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, overseeing the country's borders with Afghanistan and assisti ...
** Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ** Headquartered in
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
. ** Composed of eleven infantry and one armoured regiments, each formed from several
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
-sized "wings". ** Under the command of the Army's
XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...
, the force has been in the forefront of counter-insurgency operations against the
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Durand Line, Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, i ...
and foreign militants since 2003. *
Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South) The Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South) (, reporting name: FCKP(S)), is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan, operating in the southern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to overseeing the country's borders with Afghanistan and ass ...
** Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ** Headquartered in
Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...
. ** Composed of ten infantry regiments, each formed from several
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
-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) The Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) (, reporting name: FCB(N)), is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan, operating in the northern part of the province of Balochistan, to overseeing the country's borders with Afghanistan and assisting w ...
** Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Balochistan. ** Headquartered in
Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
. ** Composed of ten infantry regiments, each formed from several
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
-sized "wings". ** Under the command of the
XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ( ...
, the force has been in the forefront of counter-insurgency operations against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch separatists. *
Frontier Corps Balochistan (South) The Frontier Corps Balochistan (South) (, reporting name: FCB(S)), is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan, operating in the southwestern part of the province of Balochistan, to overseeing the country's borders with Afghanistan and Iran and ...
** Formed in 2017 by the splitting of Frontier Corps Balochistan. ** Headquartered in
Turbat Turbat (Urdu and ) is a city in the southern region of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Kech District. Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan after Quetta and the 35th largest city in the coun ...
. ** Composed of ten infantry regiments, each formed from several
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
-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 The Frontier Constabulary () is a federal paramilitary force of Pakistan under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, which is largely drawn from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but operates in several districts of Pakistan. It is res ...
** Formed in 1915. ** Headquartered in
Peshawar Cantonment Peshawar Cantonment (, ) is a garrison located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Although the cantonment is located within Peshawar City District, it is an independent municipality under control of the Military Lands and Cantonments De ...
. ** This is a
gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
that operates in the border districts of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
, which were formerly known as the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas The Federally Administered Tribal Areas, commonly known as FATA, was a semi-autonomous tribal region in north-western Pakistan that existed from 1947 until being merged with the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 through the ...
; unlike the Frontier Corps it is commanded by officers from the
Police Service of Pakistan 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 ...
. *
Pakistan Coast Guards The Pakistan Coast Guards (abbreviation: PCG) () is a maritime law enforcement agency of the Civil Armed Forces of Pakistan. It is managed and controlled by the Pakistan Army, with a mission of riverine operations and coastal operations includ ...
** Formed in 1973. ** Headquartered in Karachi. ** The force should not be confused with the
Maritime Security Agency Maritime Security Agency can refer to: * Indonesian Maritime Security Agency * Pakistan Maritime Security Agency {{Military unit disambiguation ...
, which is a
coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
in the
Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...
. 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. *
Gilgit Baltistan Scouts The Gilgit−Baltistan Scouts are a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan, tasked with internal security in the nominally autonomous territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and border guard duties. The force was formed in 2003 under the control of the ...
** Formed in 2003 as a replacement CAF after the previously paramilitary
Northern Light Infantry 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 con ...
was converted into a regular infantry regiments of the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...
in recognition of their performance and heavy losses during the
Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...
. ** Headquartered in
Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...
. ** Composed of six battalion-sized "wings". ** Under the command of the Army's
Force Command Northern Areas Force Command Northern Areas is a division size formation of the Pakistan Army. It commands the troops deployed in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is a component of X Corps of the Pakistan Army. In contrast to the general belief that it is a ...
, the force has been involved in providing security for infrastructure projects in the
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC; zh, c=中巴经济走廊, p=Zhōng bā jīngjì zǒuláng; ) is a 3,000 km Chinese infrastructure network project currently under construction in Pakistan. This sea-and-land-based corridor aims to ...
.


Other Paramilitary Organisations

*
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (reporting name: PMSA) () is a branch of the Pakistan Navy. It is a Navy-managed and Navy-controlled Law enforcement in Pakistan, Marine law enforcement agency whose mission is to provide protection to Pakis ...
**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 An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
. *
Airports Security Force The Airports Security Force (ASF) () is a federal airport security force agency under the administrative control of the Defense Secretary of Pakistan, Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Defense which is responsible for protecting the a ...
** Formed in 1976 ** Headquartered in Karachi ** The ASF is an 8,945-personnel organisation. ** The ASF is a federal
airport security force Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats. Aviation security is a combination of measures and hum ...
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 The Anti-Narcotics Force (, reporting name: ''ANF'') is a federal executive bureau and a paramilitary force of the Government of Pakistan, tasked with combating the narcotics smuggling and use within Pakistan. ANF works under the umbrella of P ...
**Formed in 1995 **Headquartered in Rawalpindi **Tasked with combating the narcotics smuggling and use within Pakistan


50 Aviation Squadron

* 50 Aviation Squadron of the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
is the nucleus of an air wing designed to provide additional air support to CAFs, including in disaster relief and medical evacuations.


Ranks


See also

*
Law enforcement in Pakistan 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 ...
*
Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...
*
National Guard (Pakistan) The Pakistan National Guard () is a military reserve force and a component of the Pakistan Army, designed to act as a "second line of defence", together with the Pakistan Army Reserve and the paramilitary Civil Armed Forces. History The Nat ...
*
Pakistan Levies The Pakistan Levies (Urdu: ), or Federal Levies, are provincial paramilitary forces (gendarmeries) in Pakistan, whose primary missions are law enforcement, assisting the civilian police (where co-located) in maintaining law and order, and condu ...


References


External links


CIA World Factbook 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Civil Armed Forces * Military of Pakistan Reserve forces