Pakistan ‘decides’ to transform Frontier Constabulary into federal force to enchance security countrywide

The federal government has decided to convert the Frontier Constabulary into a countrywide federal force, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Monday.

Necessary steps are actively being taken to implement this significant change in Pakistan’s law enforcement landscape, the state minister said while addressing a press conference in Faisalabad.

“In a bid to acknowledge this force’s decades-long tremendous services, the government has decided to revamp and restructure it.

“The federal government has decided that it would now be Federal Constabulary. This should not be misconstrued as federal police,” he said.

Talal ruled out the speculations that it would function as a federal police, saying President Asif Ali Zardari had promulgated it.

Frontier Constabulary had been working under NWFP until 1975, when it was brought under the federal government through a constitutional amendment during the former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s era, he said.

The state minister reiterated that the FC, which has historically operated primarily in the tribal and border areas, will now function as a federal force with a broader mandate across the entire country.

He acknowledged the FC’s long-standing service under the federal government since the establishment of Pakistan and lauded its sacrifices for the nation’s security.

Talal explained that after its restructuring, the Federal Constabulary will operate akin to other national law enforcement agencies, playing a special and enhanced role in maintaining peace and order.

A key aspect of this transformation will be nationwide recruitment, with personnel being drawn from all parts of Pakistan. Furthermore, the entire budget for the Federal Constabulary will be provided directly by the federal government, centralising its administrative and financial control, he maintained.

The minister also informed that the newly constituted force will extend its operations to Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, indicating a strategic expansion of its operational jurisdiction to address diverse security needs across all territories under federal purview.

“This move is seen as part of broader efforts to centralise and enhance Pakistan’s internal security infrastructure in response to evolving security challenges,” he said, state-run media PTV reported.

Earlier, Radio Pakistan reported citing sources that the force will be empowered to operate in all four provinces, as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Officers of the Police Service of Pakistan will command the Federal Constabulary under the reorganisation framework, they said.

The sources said the establishment of the Federal Constabulary will provide substantial support in ensuring internal security and public order in the country.