Pakistan creates new paramilitary force after jailed ex-PM Imran Khan threatens nationwide protest

As jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s followers are planning nationwide protests, the Shehbaz Sharif government has created a new paramilitary force, prompting fears that it could be used to crush protests and harass political opponents.

Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced nationwide protests starting August 5 — the second anniversary of Imran’s arrest.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday signed off the proposal to convert Frontier Constabulary (FC) from a border security force largely deployed in the country’s tribal northwest into the Federal Constabulary, which would have a nationwide mandate of maintaining law and order, supplementing the law enforcement agencies, and carrying out a range of duties, according to Dawn newspaper.

The ordinance that Zardari promulgated also said that the government may also grant the FC full policing powers at discretion.

The PTI has already voiced concerns that the new force could be unleashed on political opponents.

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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 a large number of the PTI leadership and supporters”, said PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, according to Reuters.

For more than two years, the Sharif-led government —with the backing of the all-powerful military-intelligence establishment— has been cracking down on PTI. PTI chief Imran has been in jail since August 2023 and several top leaders have been jailed as well. It was also barred from fielding candidates on its symbol in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

‘We are alarmed’

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said that it was “alarmed” by the creation of the new force.

“We are alarmed by the changes being made to the security and law enforcement structure of the country without any debate in parliament,” said Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Secretary Haris Khalique.

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For more than two years, the Pakistani government and PTI have traded charges. While the PTI has accused the government of a systematic crackdown, the government has accused the PTI of engaging in violence in the name of political activities.

Since his ouster as the premier in 2022, Khan has accused the Pakistani military of conspiring with the political parties and the United States to oust him. The crackdown on his party intensified after his followers attacked the Pakistani Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and stormed the houses of top army commanders in May 2023 while protesting his arrest.