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Pakistan's Paramilitary Forces is a grouping of various organizations which are constitutionally charged to safeguard Pakistan from external and internal threats. Their current strength is more than 300,000 personnel. Some like the Northern Light Infantry which was a paramilitary force until 1999, are now incorporated under the Pakistan Army.
[edit] Strength of the Paramilitary Forces
| Service |
Total Active Duty Personnel |
| National Guard |
185,000 |
| Pakistan Rangers |
30,000 |
| Mehran Force |
25,000 |
| Frontier Corps |
60,000 |
| Maritime Security Agency |
2,000 |
| Total |
302,000 |
[edit] Tasks of the Paramilitary Forces
- Pakistani National Guard: The National Guard comprises the Mujahid Force, the Janbaz Force and locally recruited militia and are charged with air defense. Also included are the National Cadet Corps and the Women's Guard.
- Pakistan Rangers: The 50,000 strong Rangers are headquartered in Lahore, Punjab and perform internal security duties as an extension of the Army. This force is organised on a provincial level but are subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior and are commanded by seconded army generals.
- Mehran Force: The Mehran Force, based in the Sindh province, performs the same function as the Punjab-based Rangers. A force of 25,000 men is divided into "wings" of approximately 800 men each.
- Frontier Corps: The Frontier Corps, based in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province and Quetta, Balochistan is responsible for protecting the western border regions. The force is responsible to both the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions and to Army Headquarters. The Force comprises fourteen units based in the North-West Frontier and thirteen units based in Balochistan. Some of the local units have a long history such as the Chitral Scouts, the Khyber Rifles, the Kurram Militia, the Tochi Scouts, the South Waziristan Scouts, the Zhob Militia, and the Gilgit Scouts. These histories date back to Colonial times and many of the regiments have distinguished combat records, e.g the Khyber Rifles. These regiments can be "regularized" i.e attached to regular Army as necessary. Khyber Rifles was in fact regularized during the 1965 war and fought with distinction in Kashmir.
- Maritime Security Agency: The 2,500-strong Maritime Security Agency, headquartered in Karachi, is a coast guard and is responsible for patrolling Pakistan's territorial waters. The MSA is equipped with a former Pakistan Navy destroyer, two coastal patrol craft and four oceanic patrol craft.
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