The Gilgit−Baltistan Scouts are a federal

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 ...

force in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, tasked with internal security in the nominally autonomous territory of

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

and border guard duties. The force was formed in 2003 under the control of the Interior Ministry of Pakistan, but it claims a tradition dating back to the Gilgit Scouts formed during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

era. However, the earlier Scouts unit is now a full infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army called the Northern Light Infantry Regiment, which mostly operates in the same region as the current Scouts.

Formation

The original Gilgit Scouts was raised by the

in 1913 to defend the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir's northern frontier. In August 1947, the Scouts along with rebels in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces, switched allegiance to

and fought on the northern front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, conquering important places such as Skardu, Kargil and Drass (the latter two were subsequently recaptured by the Indian Army). In 1949, the Gilgit Scouts were split into two forces, with the wing under the original name 'Gilgit Scouts' designated for internal security operations, and a second wing, named the 'Northern Scouts', designated for major external operations. In 1964, the Northern Scouts were further bifurcated with the raising of the 'Karakoram Scouts' based in Skardu. All three forces were brought together again in 1975, under the banner of the Northern Light Infantry (then a paramilitary force). Following the 1999 Kargil War with India, where the Northern Light Infantry saw extensive combat, the force was converted into a regular

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the Pakistan Army. The present force of Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts was created in 2003 to fill the internal security role previously carried out by the Northern Light Infantry.Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI)
, Pakistan Army, retrieved 25 March 2018., Gilgit Baltistan Scouts, retrieved 6 April 2018.

Units

The force is composed of a headquarters, a training centre and six manoeuvre wings (each approximately the size of a

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), ...

). About 40 platoons have been tasked with law enforcement within Gilgit-Baltistan, including seizure of unauthorised weapons. The Scouts went through an expansion phase in 2014, with more than 1,500 new personnel being recruited to help with law enforcement on critical infrastructure projects such as the

Karakoram Highway The Karakoram Highway (, ), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (), N-35, and the ChinaPakistan Friendship Highway, is a National Highways of Pakistan, national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab p ...

. A sixth wing was also added, charged with protecting the building of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam * HQ Wing at Gilgit * 112 Wing serving on the Line of Control under 323rd Brigade of the Pakistan Army. * 113 Wing at Skardu * 114 Wing at Siachen * 115 Wing at Chilas * 116 Wing at Ghanche * 117 Wing at Ghizer ;Interior Ministry support * 50 Aviation Squadron

Ranks

Standard equipment

* Automatic Rifles – 7.62 mm Heckler & Koch G3, 7.62 mm Type 56 (POF made) * Sub-Machine Guns – 9 mm Heckler & Koch MP5 * Pistols – Glock series, Sigma series * Sniper Rifles – POF PSR-90, Steyr SSG 69 * Hand Grenades – ARGES 84 (POF made) * Anti-tank Weapons – RPG-7 (Rocket Launcher), M40A1 (Recoilless Rifle) * Machine Gun – 7.62 mm Rheinmetall MG3 (POF made) * Heavy Machine Gun – 12.7mm Type 54 (POF made) * Mortars – Various locally produced in use * Bullet Proof Jackets – Various local and foreign types * Helmets – Modular Integrated Communications Helmet and indigenous helmets locally produced * NVG goggles * Utility Vehicles – HIT Mohafiz, Indus Hilux locally produced * Helicopters – Bell 206, Bell 412

Appearance

The formal headwear of the scouts are somewhat similar to the ones worn by the Pakistan Rangers (Punjab).

Operations and Internal Security

The Force has been performing both operational and Internal Security tasks since its raising. The Special Composite Task Force formed for the protection of

is commanded by the Gilgit−Baltistan Scouts. The Force also took part in recent operations in Waziristan.

Director Generals

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Inayat Wali (2004–2005) *

Tassaduq Hussain Zahid (2005–2007) *

Azmat Ali (2007–2009) *

Nadeem Ul Ahsan Tirmizi (2009–2012) *

Babar Allauddin (2012–2014) *

Farooq Azam (2014–2016) *

Ijaz Ur Rehman Tanveer (2016 - 2017) *

Abrar Ahmed (2017 - 2019) *

Zia Ur Rehman (2019 - 2022) *

Arslan Israr Mirza (2022 - to date)

References

External links

Gilgit−Baltistan Scouts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts Law enforcement agencies of Pakistan Military in Gilgit-Baltistan Civil Armed Forces 2003 establishments in Pakistan Government agencies established in 2003