Paramilitary forces of Pakistan

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)
  • Federal 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 (split and localized)
  • 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	Border security (India), counter-insurgency, law & order enforcement anti-crime and riot control in Punjab.
Sindh Rangers	Active	Ministry of Interior	Karachi	Border security (India), counter-insurgency, law & order enforcement anti-crime and riot control in Sindh.
Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Peshawar	Border security (Afghanistan), counter-insurgency, law & order enforcement anti-crime and riot control in Northern KPK.
Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Dera Ismail Khan	Border security (Afghanistan), counter-insurgency, law & order enforcement anti-crime and riot control in Southern KPK.
Frontier Corps Balochistan (North)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Quetta	Border security (Afghanistan), counter-insurgency, law & order enforcement anti-crime and riot control in Northern Balochistan.
Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports Pakistan Army)	Turbat	Border security (Iran), counter-insurgency, law & order enforcement anti-crime and riot control in Southern Balochistan.
Federal Constabulary	Active	Ministry of Interior	Peshawar	Maintaining law and order, and dealing with situations beyond the capabilities of the police, guarding against tribal incursions, criminal gangs, and contraband smuggling.
Pakistan Coast Guards	Active	Ministry of Interior (supports PAF and CAF)	Karachi	Coastal security, anti-smuggling, anti-human-trafficking patrolling Arabian Sea coastline.
Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts	Active	Ministry of Interior	Gilgit	Internal security, border patrolling and law enforcement in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Airports Security Force	Active	Ministry of Aviation	Karachi	Aviation security and protection of airports and aircraft.
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency	Active	Ministry of Defence	Karachi	Maritime law enforcement and protection of Pakistan's sea borders.
Anti Narcotics Force	Active	Ministry of Narcotics Control	Rawalpindi	Combating drug trafficking and enforcing anti-narcotics laws.
National Guard (Pakistan)	Active	Ministry of Defence	Various	Reserve paramilitary force for supporting regular army and civil defence.
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.
Pakistan Levies	Split and localized	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.

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	Varies by force

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
• National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) previously trained students for military service, formally part of the National Guard of Pakistan
• Women's Guard, women's auxiliary service for national emergencies, formally part of the National Guard of Pakistan

Former and Historical Paramilitary Forces of Pakistan

Name	Status	Notes
National Cadet Corps (Pakistan)	Disbanded	Previously trained students for military service (disbanded).
Women's Guard	Disbanded	Women's auxiliary service for national emergencies.
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