The Minister of State for the Interior Senator, Talal Chaudhary, announced on Monday that the border police (FC) was restructured and renowned like the federal gendarmerie to improve the internal and national security of Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference alongside the commander of FC Riaz Nazir Gara, he said that the redesign of the FC is not politically motivated but an institutional necessity.
CHAPHARY stressed that restructuring is only an initiative linked to the defense designed to strengthen national security by providing increased support for law enforcement organizations.
“For almost a century, the FC has played a crucial role in peacekeeping and order in the country and along its borders. However, it has not been recognized or advantages comparable to other security forces,” he said.
Despite limited wages and less privileges, FC staff have always demonstrated unshakable dedication, he noted. “Now, under the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Minister of the Interior Mohin Naqvi, the government has decided to transform the FC into federal force, attacking longtime disparities with an improved structure and an extended scope.”
The Minister said that although the name changes, the central function and the identity of the force as Constabulary will remain intact. The restructuring will ensure that FC personnel receive wages, training and services tied with other national security forces.
Chaudhary highlighted the longtime role of FC in the fight against drug trafficking, smuggling and assistance to civil law forces during key national events, including Muharram, elections and anti-political campaigns. He confirmed that these tasks would continue in the new federal framework.
As part of the reforms, the jurisdiction of the federal gendarmerie will be extended to cover the four provinces, as well as the Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Cashmire.
Recruitment will be open to all Pakistani citizens, and the federal government will assume a complete operational and financial responsibility, relieving the provinces of any budgetary burden.
The redesign will also include updated training modules, capacity building initiatives and a modernized command structure aimed at improving the efficiency of morale and the operation.
The commander of FC Gara provided a historical context, noting that the FC was initially created in 1913 as a gendarme of the northwest border, under a law now aged a century.
“Recognizing the need for a reform, the force will now be realized in a stronger institution and managed by the federal government with clearly defined-dishes, businesses and wings command,” he said. He added that out of 41 wings in total, 36 are currently deployed under the security division. The new structure aims to rationalize these units for better efficiency.
Commander Gara also honored the sacrifice of FC staff, revealing that 423 members have put their lives in the exercise of their functions. He said reorganization would honor these sacrifices through better command systems, improved installations and clearer career paths.
Chaudhary and Gara urged the public, the media and the stakeholders to carefully examine the new prescription governing the federal gendarmerie to avoid false ideas.
“This transformation represents a strategic and institutional reform that will improve the operational capacity of one of the oldest law enforcement organizations,” they concluded.
