Faisalabad:
Prime Minister of Interior and Senior PMLN leader Senator Talal Chaudhary has said that Frontier Constabulary (FC) is restructured and renamed only federal constabular to strengthen internal and national security in Pakistan.
He approached a news conference at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday. FC commander Riaz Nazir Gara was also present.
A day after President Asif Ali Zardari promoded an ordinance authorizing the federal government to transform FC, a border security force, to the federal constabular to maintain law and order, supplement the law enforcement agencies and meet the various security needs in a coordinated way.
“This will be a new strength. This will be a stronger strength.
We need this strength for internal security, “Chaudhry said, adding that the president had already approved changes in the law that introduced changes in paramilitary strength.
The decision to restore FC asks for concern among opposition parties and human rights groups that it could be used as a tool for political oppression.
However, the Minister said the renewal of FC is not a politically motivated decision, but it is an institutional necessity to improve coordination, compensation and capacity for this strength across all provinces and territories in Pakistan.
It is purely a defense -related question to strengthen the national defense by providing support to the law enforcement authorities, he added.
He said that FC had played a key role in maintaining peace and security in the country and along its borders for almost a century, yet this strength has not been awarded recognition and benefits comparable to other security forces in Pakistan.
He complained that, despite limited wages and fewer privileges, FC staff have consistently served the nation with unshakable dedication.
“Now Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi have decided to transform FC into a federal strength to tackle the difference with upgraded structure and scope under the new name of Federal Constabular,” he added.
He clarified that while the name changes, FC’s identity and core function remains as constabular intact. The restructuring would help ensure that its staff receive wages, education and benefits similar to them from other national security forces, he added.
He said that FC has long been involved in the fight against drug trafficking, smuggling and support of civilian law enforcement agencies during sensitive events such as Muharram, elections and anti-polio campaigns. Now it would continue to carry out these responsibilities under its new federal framework, he added.
He said that with the reorganization, jurisdiction for federal constabular would be expanded to include all four provinces as well as Gilgit/Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
He said that recruitment will be opened to all citizens from all over the country and that the federal government would bear all operational and financial responsibility, facilitating the provinces of any budgetary load.
The FC renewal will include updated training modules, capacity building initiatives and a modernized command structure designed to lift the moral and efficiency of its staff, he added.
FC commander Riaz Nazir Gara delivered historic context and said FC was established in 1913, originally known as North-West Frontier Constabular. It was driven under a law now over 100 years old.
He recognized the urgent need for reform and said FC would be adapted to a more robust and federally administered institution with clearly defined commands, including Platones, businesses and wings.
He said FC has 41 wings and its 36 wings are currently deployed under the security department. The renewed structure would streamline these devices to improve efficiency, he added.
Commander Gara revealed that 423 FC staff have determined their lives in the duty of duty, which is a testimony to the commitment and sacrifice of this strength.
The reorganization would help honor these victims by providing a better command structure, improved facilities and clearer career paths for FC members, he added.
The Prime Minister and the FC commander both urged the public, the media and stakeholders to carefully read the new ordinance related to the federal constabular to avoid misunderstandings.
This transformation is a strategic and institutional reform that can help tackle the internal security challenges and improve the operational capacity of one of the country’s oldest law enforcement organs, they added.
Meanwhile, development caused concern among opposition parties and human rights groups that it could be used as a tool for political oppression.
The message came after PTI said it would scene nationwide protests that started on August 5, the second anniversary of party founder Imran Khan’s arrest. Several such protests since his arrest in August 2023 have become violent, in some cases paralyzed the capital Islamabad for several days.
PTI leader Zulficar Bukhari said the changes should be subject to parliamentary discussion.
The new strength “should not be used as a gimmick to dampen political opponents who have previously witnessed when the government used such laws against the PTI management and supporters,” he said.
His concern was repeated by Haris Khalique, secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
“We are alarmed by the changes made in the country’s security and law enforcement without any debate in parliament,” Khalique said.
