The Kharan Rifles is a paramilitary regiment forming part of the

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# ...

Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps (, reporting name: FC) are a group of four paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's b ...

Balochistan (South). It is responsible for

border security 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 maintaining law and order in southwest

. It guards the border area at the junction of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, a major transit area for trade and traffic. Administratively the regiment comes under the

Interior Ministry 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, the ...

, while it is commanded by seconded officers 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 ...

History

In 1978, the

Balochistan Constabulary Balochistan Police or Baloch Police ( Baloch, Urdu: بلوچستان پولیس) is responsible for Policing urban Balochistan, Pakistan. Its strength is 150,000 as of 2023.The current Inspector General of Police, Balochistan is Moazzam Jah Ans ...

, a paramilitary unit based in the

Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Balochi, , ) also known as ''Hozdar'', is a city and the administrative headquarters of Khuzdar District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Khuzdar is surrounded by mountainous region of the southwestern portion of the country near ...

and

Kharan District Kharan district (; ) is a district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Administration Demographics Population As of the 2023 census, Kharan district has 35,843 households and a population of 260,352. The district has a sex ratio of ...

s in

Balochistan Province Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...

, was deactivated, raised anew as a unit of the

and joined by the 84th Wing of the Chagai Militia. The new name of the unit was the Kharan Rifles and their base was moved from the large city of

to the remote settlement of

Nok Kundi Nok Kundi () is a city and region located in western Balochistan, Pakistan, near the Iran and Afghanistan border. The city has a population of 30,625, It is located at an altitude of 649 m (2130 ft). Nokkundi is famous for its mineral resources ...

. The Rifles were subdivided into three battalions: the 75th Wing, the 76th Wing, and the 84th Wing. By 1985 the Rifles had a strength of 2,200 personnel, but it remained a lightly-armed unit. In 1988, personnel of the Rifles discovered and neutralised several explosive devices on the main highway linking the Iranian city of

Zahedan Zahedan (Balochi language, Balochi and ; ) is a city in the Central District (Zahedan County), Central District of Zahedan County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, th ...

and Pakistani city of

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 ...

. In September 1999, one person died and three were injured in a confrontation with armed personnel based in

Taftan, Balochistan Taftan () () is a trunk road and railway town in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of Pakistan's border crossings with Iran. It is by either road or rail over from Quetta. It is northeast of the thermally active dark peak or s ...

. In the early 21st century, the Rifles apprehended significant amounts of smuggled weapons and ammunition near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in

Chagai District Chaghi District (; ), also known as Chaghi District, is the largest district of Pakistan by area, located in the northwestern corner of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. District shares the border with two countries: Afghanistan and Iran. De ...

including on 11 July 2002, and 16 March 2006. The Rifles have also been in anti-drugs operations. In June 2002, the unit intercepted smugglers and seized two tonnes of

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

, with an estimated street value of $13 million. In 2011-2012, the unit received a number of drug testing kits to assist in their work against drug smuggling.

Units

* Headquarters Wing * 60 Wing * 75 Wing * 76 Wing * 84 Wing * 145 Wing

References

{{Frontier Corps Regiments of the Frontier Corps Kharan District 1978 establishments in Pakistan Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)