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National Guard (Pakistan)

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National Guard
پاسبانِ قومی پاکستان
Founded3 January 1948[1]
Country Pakistan[2][3]
TypeReserve force
Militia
Rolelaw enforcement, first responders
Size~185,000: notes/contents 
Part of Pakistan Army
Garrison/HQArmy GHQ, Rawalpindi
EngagementsIndo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
Commanders
Chief of Army StaffGeneral Syed Asim Munir Ahmad Shah
Director-General, National GuardsMaj-Gen. Tariq Mahmood
Notable
commanders		Brig. Shahid Hamid
Maj-Gen. Akbar Khan

The Pakistan National Guard (Urdu: پاسبانِ قومی پاکستان) is a military reserve force and a component of the Pakistan Army, designed to act as a "second line of defence",[4]: 84  together with the Pakistan Army Reserve and the paramilitary Civil Armed Forces.

History

[edit]

The National Guard was established on 1 January 1948 as a reserve component of the Pakistan Army, first advertised as a volunteer corps later expanded with a Women's Guard.[5][4]: 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

[edit]
A member of the Women's Guard in 1950.
Members of the Mujahid Force on parade.

The command and control of the National Guard is under the Chief of Army Staff,[6] who serves as the Principal Officer Commanding from Army GHQ in Rawalpindi.[4]: notes 

The National Guard was initially authorised by the "Pakistan National Guard Ordinance, 1947" on 2 November 1947,[6] and was initially composed of infantry on 7-year contracts.[7] It was expanded in 1972 in the aftermath of the secession of Bangladesh.[2] It is currently composed of two forces:

  • The Mujahid Force, a paramilitary regiment of numerous battalions, which supports and supplements the regular Army during national emergencies and war.
  • The Janbaz Force, which operates air defence batteries and infantry companies under the control of the provincial governments, and its members tend to serve close to their home districts.

The two current components are recruited, trained and deployed in their local areas, and are mainly charged with air defence and helping with national emergencies.: notes/contents 

Previously, the National Guard also included two other forces:

The National Cadet Corps, was similar to the British Officers' Training Corps. The National Cadet Corps was disbanded in 2002 by President Pervez Musharraf, although there were calls for the Corps to be restored at a federal level in 2015,[8] and at provincial level in 2019.[10]

The Women's Guard was formed at the behest of Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan, wife of the first Prime Minister of Pakistan.[9] The Guard 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

[edit]
  • Civil Armed Forces, a group of nine paramilitary, uniformed organisations in Pakistan, separate and distinct from the "military" Armed Forces.
  • Muslim League National Guard, a former paramilitary organisation associated with the Pakistan Movement.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Hamid, S. Shahid (1993). Early Years of Pakistan: Including the Period from August, 1947 to 1959. Ferozsons. p. 305. ISBN 9789690100627. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b "National Guards program is lauched to reduce dependence on Army". Pakistan Affairs. Washington. 16 January 1973. p. 94.
  3. ^ "National Guards Act, 1973" (PDF). Gazette of Pakistan. Senate of Pakistan. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Cheema, Pervaiz I.; Riemer, Manuel (1990). "Early Developments". Pakistan's Defence Policy 1947-58. Springer. ISBN 9781349209422. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Journey from Scratch to Nuclear Power". www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk. ISPR (Army). Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Short titles of the Central Acts and Ordinances" (PDF). Ministry of Law, Government of Pakistan. p. 5.
  7. ^ "Pakistan 1953-1954". Karachi: Pakistan Publications. 1953. p. 168. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b Abbasi, Kashif (12 March 2015). "Govt looking to reintroduce civil defence courses at college-level". Dawn.
  9. ^ a b Naqvi, Hijab. "Women of Pakistan: Independence and Beyond". Hilal: The Pakistan Armed Forces' Magazine.
  10. ^ "PTI lawmaker seeks revival of NCC programme in colleges". The News International. 18 September 2019.
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