The government’s new paramilitary force raises fears about political repression
The Pakistani government has approved an ordinance to reform the Frontier Constabulary, turning it into a new paramilitary force with country-wide jurisdiction, renaming it the Federal Constabulary. It will operate in all provinces and territories, with internal security and counterterrorism duties. Opposition parties and advocacy groups fear that that it will be used to suppress dissent, especially ahead of protests announced by Imran Khan's party.
Islamabad (AsiaNews) – The Pakistani government has approved the transformation of the border security force into a paramilitary unit operating in all provinces and territories of the country.
With this decision, promulgated last Sunday by an ordinance signed by President Asif Ali Zardari, the Frontier Constabulary has been renamed the Federal Constabulary (FC).
According to the decree, the unit has been tasked with internal security, counterterrorism operations, and public order, including riot control, Dunya News, an Urdu-language television channel, reported.
“As the Senate and the National Assembly are not in session and the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary to take immediate action,” reads the Frontier Constabulary (Reorganisation) Ordinance, 2025.
The announcement comes after the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), called for more nationwide protests on 5 August, the second anniversary of the arrest of its leader, Imran Khan, who is currently in prison on various charges that his supporters believe to be politically motivated.
Demonstrations organised by the PTI over the past two years have often resulted in violence against police forces.
"This will be a new force. This will be a stronger force. We need this force for internal security," said Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior, at a press conference in Faisalabad, also attended by FC Commander Riaz Nazir Gara.
The new force will retain a distinct identity from the federal police, but will be coordinated by government-appointed officers from the Police Service of Pakistan, the minister explained.
According to the government, the FC's transformation into a national paramilitary force is necessary to respond to "new security challenges," including natural disasters and various types of emergencies.
Until now, the Frontier Constabulary recruited young men from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province bordering Afghanistan that saw a significant increase in terrorist attacks in recent years.
Recruitment will now be open to all Pakistani citizens, the government noted, and the cost will be entirely borne by the federal government without impacting provincial budgets.
For the PTI, there is a risk that the new force will be deployed to crack down on opposition protesters. PTI leader Zulfikar Bukhari said the changes should be subject to parliamentary discussion.
The new force "should not be used as a gimmick to silence political opponents, as has been previously witnessed when the government applied such laws against the PTI leadership and supporters,” he said.
Harris Khalique, secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, is also concerned. “We are alarmed by the changes being made to the security and law enforcement structure of the country without any debate in parliament,” he said.
The Frontier Constabulary, which was established under British rule to maintain order in border regions, conducts operations against drug smuggling and supports civil authorities during sensitive events, such as polio vaccination campaigns, which are often targeted by terror groups like the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which seeks to establish an Islamic emirate like in Afghanistan.
The government claims the reform will address disparities in treatment between the FC and other security forces. For Chaudhry, despite lower salaries and fewer privileges, FC personnel had consistently served the nation with unwavering dedication.
“The restructuring would help ensure that its personnel receive salaries, training and benefits equal to those of other national security forces,” he added.
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19/05/2022 14:32
