National Guard of Pakistan

The National Guard of Pakistan is a paramilitary force and one of four reserve components of the Pakistan Army, designed to act as a "second line of defence",[3]:84 together with the Pakistan Army Reserve, the Frontier Corps and the Pakistan Rangers.[2]

Pakistan National Guard
قومى محافظ
Active (1948-01-03) January 3, 1948[1]
Country Pakistan
AllegianceGovernment of Pakistan (The National Guards Act, 1973)
Provincial governments in Pakistan
Branch Pakistan Army
TypeReserve component
RoleBorder control, law enforcement, first responders
Size~185,000[2]:notes/contents
Garrison/HQArmy GHQ, Rawalpindi
ColoursGreen and White
        
AnniversariesDefence Day: September 6
EngagementsIndo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
  • Indo-Pakistani war of 1947
  • Indo-Pakistani war of 1965
  • Indo-Pakistani war of 1971
  • Indo-Pakistani war of 1999
War in Afghanistan (1978–present)
Global War on Terror
Siege of Lal Masjid
War in North-West Pakistan
Balochistan conflict
Websitewww.pakistanarmy.gov.pk
Commanders
Chief of Army StaffGeneral Qamar Javed Bajwa,
Director-General, National GuardsMaj-Gen. Faheem-ul-Aziz
Notable
commanders		Brig. Shahid Hamid
Maj-Gen. Akbar Khan

History

The National Guard was established on 1 January 1948 as a reserve component of the Pakistan Army, first advertised as the volunteer corps later expanded as a Women's Guard.[4][3]:84–85 Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan appointed Brigadier Syed Shahid Hamid as its first chief, and later delegated the command to Major-General Akbar Khan.[1]:268

Organization

The command and control of the National Guard is under the Chief of Army Staff who serves as the Principal Officer Commanding from Army GHQ in Rawalpindi.[3]:notes

The National Guard is composed of 79 battalions, including six artillery and five training battalions. It is (and was) composed of the following combat organizations:

  • Mujahid Force of 60,000, organized in infantry battalions, Some units were deployed in Azad Kashmir and a few units were serving in the cantonments. Recently, some Mujahid Regiment units were transformed into fully activated SAM battalions.[2]
  • Janbaz Force of 100,000, operates under the control of the provincial governments,[2] and its members tend to serve close to their home districts.[2]
  • National Cadet Corps (dissolved)[2][4]
  • Women's Guard (dissolved)[2][4]

The two current components, the Mujahid Force and the Janbaz Force, are recruited, trained and serve locally, and are mainly charged with air defence and dealing with national calamities.[2]:notes/contents

One of the latter two programs, the National Cadet Corps, was similar to the United States ROTC. The National Cadet Corps was disbanded in 2006.[5]

The second was the Women's Guard which included individuals trained in nursing, welfare, and clerical work. There were also some women in the Janbaz Force, and a very small number of women were recruited into regular service to perform medical and educational work.

See also

References
  1. Hamid, S. Shahid (1993). Early Years of Pakistan: Including the Period from August, 1947 to 1959 (snippet view). Ferozsons. p. 305. ISBN 9789690100627. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  2. Katoch, Lt Col H. (2013). "§(Pakistan)". Territorial Army: Future Challenges (google books). Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 9789382573760. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  3. Cheema, Pervaiz I.; Riemer, Manuel (1990). "Early Developments". Pakistan's Defence Policy 1947-58 (Google Books). Springer. p. 240. ISBN 9781349209422. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  4. "Journey from Scratch to Nuclear Power". www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk. ISPR (Army). Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  5. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Pakistan: The paramilitary group Mujahid Force Regiment, especially its relationship with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and whether it can compel a member to serve in ISI".


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