Why Pakistan wants to use its border force inside the country. Think VIPs

Pakistan has converted its paramilitary force, Frontier Constabulary (FC), into a “nationwide federal force”. The country’s president reportedly promulgated an ordinance on Sunday (July 13), allowing the federal government to upgrade the force, which can now operate in all provinces and territories.

The Frontier Constabulary has been renamed the Federal Constabulary. The force will be responsible for maintaining law and order, supplementing the law enforcement agencies and meeting the diverse security needs of the South Asian country.

Let’s take a closer look.

What was Frontier Constabulary?

The Frontier Constabulary (FC) comes under the Pakistan government, which can deploy it to any part of the country for “better protection and administration of those areas”.

The border security force was governed by the Frontier Constabulary Act, 1915 and the North-West Frontier Constabulary Rules, 1958.

A former Pakistani interior secretary told Dawn that the Frontier Consta­bulary was first deployed in Kara­chi about 25 years ago. Later, the paramilitary force was sent to Islamabad and then Gilgit-Baltistan to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corri­dor (CPEC) and major dam projects.

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Last June, Pakistan briefly deployed the Frontier Constabulary in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after it was rocked by protests.

As per its website, FC guarded the border between the settled areas of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and its tribal areas against incursions and criminal gangs operating from across the border.

The FC has been operating in all provinces of Pakistan except Punjab. However, several of its platoons have been used for the security of sensitive installations and VVIPs in Punjab, reported The Express Tribune.

Pakistan revamps Frontier Constabulary

Pakistan’s Law and Justice Division issued an official notification on Sunday after President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated the ordinance to transform the Frontier Constabulary into the Federal Constabulary.

“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,” the Frontier Cons­tabulary (Re-organization) Ordi­nance, 2025, read.

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The Federal Constabulary will be used as a reserve force and tasked with specialised duties to help the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, provincial police forces, and other security and law enforcement forces and agencies.

The former interior secretary told the Pakistani newspaper that the ordinance has empowered the federal government to deploy the Federal Constabulary across the country for any purpose, citing security.

As per the ordinance, the FC will be headed by an inspector general who will be appointed by the Pakistan government.

It will comprise two divisions – the Security Division and the Federal Reserve Division. The Security Division will include the current strength of the Frontier Constabulary and personnel appointed through the traditional system.

The FC’s Federal Reserve Division will be dedicated to anti-riot and special protection.

The ordinance also moved all powers and assets of the Frontier Constabulary to the Federal Constabulary. It said, “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force all members and employees of the Frontier Constabulary serving in the defunct Frontier Constabulary immediately before the commencement of this ordinance, immediately after the commencement of this ordinance shall stands transferred to the Federal Constabulary reconstituted under this ordinance on same terms and conditions as applicable to them before commencement of this ordinance.”

The deployment of the Frontier Constabulary for VIP security often drew criticism. Now, the revamped force can be freely used for the personal security of the elite under the excuse of protecting the “escort”, noted Dawn.

Pakistan state broadcaster PTV previously reported that the FC will be deployed across all provinces, Islamabad, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Candidates from across the country will be able to apply for the FC. Earlier, only youth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were recruited, as per Samaa TV. 

Why Pakistan has revised FC’s role

Pakistan’s move comes amid growing security challenges , especially in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in KP and Balochistan provinces, bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

The ordinance cited “changing dynamics of national security, the increasing frequency of emergencies, natural disasters, civil unrest, and other emerging threats” to revamp FC, as per the Dawn report.

Security experts perceive it as a part of broader efforts to centralise and ramp up Pakistan’s internal security infrastructure, PTV reported.

Pakistan has reported a surge in militant attacks in KP since a truce between Pakistan and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) collapsed in November 2022.

Pakistan has accused the Taliban-led Afghan government of not taking action against TTP militants, which it claims operate from Afghanistan. Kabul has denied the charge.

With inputs from agencies