Pakistan to create new paramilitary force ahead of more protests by Imran Khan’s party

On Monday, Pakistan announced it would establish a national paramilitary force, raising alarms among opposition groups and human rights organizations that it might serve as an instrument of political oppression.

The shift transforms a current paramilitary group stationed on Pakistan’s northwestern border with Afghanistan into a national security entity named the Federal Constabulary, stated State Minister for the Interior Talal Chaudhry during a press briefing in the eastern city of Faisalabad. Its updated responsibilities will encompass internal security, riot management, and counter-terrorism, as per a version of the revised law shared by local Dunya News TV.

The declaration followed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former imprisoned Prime Minister Imran Khan, stating it would launch nationwide demonstrations beginning on August 5, marking the second anniversary of his detainment.

Numerous protests following his August 2023 arrest have escalated into violence, at times halting activities in the capital Islamabad for days.

“This will be a new force. This will be a stronger force. We need this force for internal security,” Chaudhry said, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari had already approved amendments in the law introducing changes in the paramilitary force.

The new force takes the place of the Frontier Constabulary (FC), which previously recruited its members exclusively from tribes in the northwestern province, Chaudhry stated. He added that the training of the new force will align it with other national law enforcement agencies. Khan’s party representative Zulfikar Bukhari stated that the modifications ought to be open for parliamentary debate.

The new force “should not be used as a gimmick to silence political opponents, as has been previously witnessed when the government applied such laws against a large number of the PTI leadership and supporters,” he said.

His concern was echoed by Haris Khalique, secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent body.

“We are alarmed by the changes being made to the security and law enforcement structure of the country without any debate in parliament,” Khalique said.