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Why Pakistan wants to use its border force inside the country. Think VIPs
Pakistan has converted its paramilitary force, Frontier Constabulary (FC), into a 'nationwide federal force'. The country's president reportedly promulgated an ordinance on Sunday (July 13), allowing the federal government to upgrade the force, which can now operate in all provinces and territories.
The Frontier Constabulary has been renamed the Federal Constabulary. The force will be responsible for maintaining law and order, supplementing the law enforcement agencies and meeting the diverse security needs of the South Asian country.
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Let's take a closer look.
What was Frontier Constabulary?
The Frontier Constabulary (FC) comes under the Pakistan government, which can deploy it to any part of the country for 'better protection and administration of those areas'.
The border security force was governed by the Frontier Constabulary Act, 1915 and the North-West Frontier Constabulary Rules, 1958.
A former Pakistani interior secretary told Dawn that the Frontier Constabulary was first deployed in Karachi about 25 years ago. Later, the paramilitary force was sent to Islamabad and then Gilgit-Baltistan to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and major dam projects.
Last June, Pakistan briefly deployed the Frontier Constabulary in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after it was rocked by protests.
Pakistani Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel escort the Shiite Muslim march in the Ashura procession in Quetta on October 12, 2016. File Photo/AFP
As per its website, FC guarded the border between the settled areas of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and its tribal areas against incursions and criminal gangs operating from across the border.
The FC has been operating in all provinces of Pakistan except Punjab. However, several of its platoons have been used for the security of sensitive installations and VVIPs in Punjab, reported The Express Tribune.
Pakistan revamps Frontier Constabulary
Pakistan's Law and Justice Division issued an official notification on Sunday after President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated the ordinance to transform the Frontier Constabulary into the Federal Constabulary.
'As the Senate and the National Assembly are not in session and the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary to take immediate action,' the Frontier Constabulary (Re-organization) Ordinance, 2025, read.
The Federal Constabulary will be used as a reserve force and tasked with specialised duties to help the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, provincial police forces, and other security and law enforcement forces and agencies.
The former interior secretary told the Pakistani newspaper that the ordinance has empowered the federal government to deploy the Federal Constabulary across the country for any purpose, citing security.
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As per the ordinance, the FC will be headed by an inspector general who will be appointed by the Pakistan government.
It will comprise two divisions – the Security Division and the Federal Reserve Division. The Security Division will include the current strength of the Frontier Constabulary and personnel appointed through the traditional system.
The FC's Federal Reserve Division will be dedicated to anti-riot and special protection.
The ordinance also moved all powers and assets of the Frontier Constabulary to the Federal Constabulary. It said, 'Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force all members and employees of the Frontier Constabulary serving in the defunct Frontier Constabulary immediately before the commencement of this ordinance, immediately after the commencement of this ordinance shall stands transferred to the Federal Constabulary reconstituted under this ordinance on same terms and conditions as applicable to them before commencement of this ordinance.'
The deployment of the Frontier Constabulary for VIP security often drew criticism. Now, the revamped force can be freely used for the personal security of the elite under the excuse of protecting the 'escort', noted Dawn.
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Pakistan state broadcaster PTV previously reported that the FC will be deployed across all provinces, Islamabad, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Candidates from across the country will be able to apply for the FC. Earlier, only youth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were recruited, as per Samaa TV.
Why Pakistan has revised FC's role
Pakistan's move comes amid growing security challenges, especially in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in KP and Balochistan provinces, bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The ordinance cited 'changing dynamics of national security, the increasing frequency of emergencies, natural disasters, civil unrest, and other emerging threats' to revamp FC, as per the Dawn report.
Security experts perceive it as a part of broader efforts to centralise and ramp up Pakistan's internal security infrastructure, PTV reported.
Pakistan has reported a surge in militant attacks in KP since a truce between Pakistan and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) collapsed in November 2022.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban-led Afghan government of not taking action against TTP militants, which it claims operate from Afghanistan. Kabul has denied the charge.
With inputs from agencies
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No more a soft state: Bharat's strategic turn after Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor, as underscored by Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and S Jaishankar in Parliament, has made the world take note of Bharat's military resolve, capabilities, and tactics. It has alarmed its enemies, but also made friends uneasy and envious read more As well-articulated by Indian ministers in Parliament, Bharat is no more a soft state that could be punched at will and gotten away without consequences. File image When the Congress-led Opposition called for a discussion on Operation Sindoor, one thought it would be a close contest. The Opposition leaders would grill the treasury benches. But as the proceedings of the past two days suggest, the Opposition seems to have come underprepared. Maybe it never expected the treasury benches to accept the motion to have a debate, though there were enough indications that the government was willing to discuss the matter in Parliament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Opposition story doesn't end here: Had it just given a walkover, one still would have forgiven the Congress and its allies. The Congress went ahead and committed a hara-kiri. It did what even the Americans could not do in the wake of Operation Sindoor. While the Trump administration, in recognition of Islamabad's role, labelled the Pakistan-based Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, as a global terrorist outfit for its role in the killing of 26 people in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, the Congress came out categorically saying there was no Pakistan connection with the dastardly attack. Congress Self-Goal Had the self-goal come from a junior party member, one could still have ignored the transgression. But the statement came from one of the tallest Congress leaders, P Chidambaram, who had taken over as the country's Home Minister soon after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. 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According to Menon, the global reaction to Bharat-Pakistan tensions often seeks to 'split the blame 50:50' in the name of even-handedness—exactly what the Pakistan Army desires. But Operation Sindoor upended that script. As External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha on Monday, 189 of 193 UN member nations supported Bharat post-strike. It wasn't aggression, but clarity of purpose and strength of execution that won global support. Trump's Doublespeak STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jaishankar also corrected the record on US involvement. Refuting Donald Trump's claims of brokering a 'ceasefire', he clarified that no phone call occurred between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump from April 22 to June 17. The only calls were one of condolence and a later one in Canada—none regarding military operations or negotiations. While Trump sought credit for de-escalation, Bharat maintained strategic restraint without conceding ground. 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First Post
7 minutes ago
- First Post
India used ballistic matching to identify Pahalgam attack terrorists. Here's how it works
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday confirmed that the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev carried out the Pahalgam terror attack. He said this has been established with the aid of forensic and ballistic tests. But what do we know about ballistic matching? How does it work? read more Indian security officers inspect the site a day after where terrorists indiscriminately opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam. AP File Home Minister Amit Shah has confirmed that the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev carried out the Pahalgam terror attack. The three terrorists, including Pahalgam mastermind Hashim Musha aka Suleman Shah, were cornered and killed by Indian security forces in a joint operation on Monday. Shah, speaking in Parliament during a discussion on Operation Sindoor, said this has been established with the aid of forensic and ballistic tests. 'Security forces went to great extent to establish that identity of terrorists was same as those responsible for Pahalgam attack,' Shah said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He confirmed that all three were Pakistani citizens. 'All three terrorists were Pakistani and we have their voter ID numbers as well. The chocolates recovered from them were also made in Pakistan,' he added. But what is the ballistic matching test Shah spoke about? How does it work? How did India establish the link? What is it? First, let's take a look at ballistics – the study of projectiles and firearms. Ballistics as a science dates back to the 16th Century. It came into its own during the early part of the 20th Century. The science made several advancements during World War I and World War II. Ballistics is vital when it comes to studying crime scenes. This is because it helps identify which firearms have been used. A fired .38 Special hollow-point bullet viewed from the side, showing the intended terminal ballistics, By Rickochet at English Wikipedia, It can also help prosecute those who committed the crime by being entered as evidence into court. Ballistic matching is done to find out if a specific gun fired a certain bullet or used a specific cartridge. It is done by examining bullet fragments or cartridge cases retrieved at the crime scenes or the weapons themselves. This evidence are then sent to ballistic experts who have gone extensive training, sometimes for years, to perform these duties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These experts can then narrow down the type of gun used at a particular scene or match the gun with the casings and the cartridge. How does it work? The experts first examine the evidence retrieved. They use calipers and balances to examine the bullet fragments and shell casings. They also use stereo microscopes and comparison microscopes to find out which bullets have been fired. They also have special equipment which helps them analyse the trigger pull of the firearm and the interior of the barrel. All this helps them determine the calibre of the gun fired. This can be done because most modern guns are built to certain specifications. If the examiners have the weapon, they also look at rifling marks – spiral grooves inside the gun barrel that spin the bullet as it exits. They also study the firing pin marks, which is left on the back of the cartridge when the gun fires and Breechface marks – which comes from the back part of the gun that presses the cartridge. They also look at extractor and ejector marks that are left when the gun ejects the used cartridge. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Experts also sometimes test-fire the weapons and recover the spent bullets and cartridge cases. They do so firing the weapon into a large tank of water with an opening to retrieve the bullets. However, some people have also expressed scepticism about how accurate ballistics is as a science. A study by the US Defence Department's Forensic Science Centre indicated that examiners got a 'false positive' in every one of 66 cases. They said it could be as high as one in 46. Others have expressed similar worries. A piece in Scientific American noted that a study performed by the Ames Laboratory, know as Ames II, found a false positive rate of 52 per cent in bullets and cartridge cases comparisons. It said researchers who were sent the same evidence, which was later sent to other examiners, came to different conclusions at least two-thirds of the time. Different examiners reached the same conclusions under a third of the time. This, the piece argued, undermines claims of the science's efficacy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How did India establish the link? India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack had sent the cartridges recovered for forensic analysis. Then, on Monday, after Operation Mahadev, India recovered a cache of weapons from the hideout of the neutralised terrorists. Among the weapons were M-9 and AK-47 rifles. Shah said the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report of the cartridges from the Pahalgam terror attack was already prepared. PTI These were sent to Chandigarh on Monday night via special aircraft to be tested at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. The weapons recovered were then test fired and their casings collected. Shah said the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report of the cartridges from the Pahalgam terror attack was already prepared. The test results were compared to the earlier reports prepared and were found to be a match. Shah said it has thus been confirmed that these three terrorists had carried out the terror attack in April. He added that six ballistic experts had signed off on the same. 'There's no room for doubt. I have the ballistic report in my hand, verified and signed by six top scientists. At 4:46 AM, I received a video call confirming a 100 per cent match between the bullets fired at the site and the rifles recovered during the operation,' Shah said in Parliament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies


India.com
7 minutes ago
- India.com
Pakistani Voter ID, Chocolates: HM Amit Shah Says Forces Have Proofs Against Pahalgam Terrorists
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, stated that all three terrorists killed in Monday's Operation Mahadev in Srinagar were Pakistani nationals. Furthermore, he also said that those who were involved in the brutal Pahalgam terror attack have been killed. Responding to Congress leader P Chidambaram's statement that the Pahalgam terrorists could have been "homegrown", Amit Shah told the Lower House that there is proof of the terrorists' Islamabad links, as Voter IDs and Pakistani-made chocolate wrappers were recovered from their possession. The Home Minister also confirmed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) top commander Suleiman Shah, who was amongst the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, was among the three terrorists killed by security forces during the Operation Mahadev. Proof Of Terrorists' Identity? Amit Shah also claimed that the former Home Minister, P Chidambaram, is giving a clean chit to Pakistan and questioned what he would gain by defending the neighbouring nation. "Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending Pakistan?... We have the proof that these three were Pakistanis. We have voter ID numbers for the two of them... The chocolates recovered from them are made in Pakistan…,' he said. 'The former Home Minister of this country is giving a clean chit to Pakistan. If they were not Pakistanis, then Chidambaram is also raising the question as to why Pakistan was attacked... 130 crore people are watching their conspiracy to save Pakistan…' Home Minister added. #WATCH | Delhi | On Congress leader P Chidambaram's statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending… — ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2025 According to the Minister, the three terrorists who were killed in Operation Mahadev were identified as Suleiman, Jibran, and Afghan. Suleiman was a commander in the LeT, while Afghan was also a part of the terrorist organisation. Amit Shah also said that Jibran was an A-grade terrorist. 'In Operation Mahadev, Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran, these three terrorists were killed in a joint operation of the Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police... Suleiman was an A-category commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Afghan was an A-category LeT terrorist. And Jibran was also an A-grade terrorist... All three terrorists who killed our citizens in the Baisaran valley have been eliminated...,' Shah said. The senior BJP leader further said, 'All three terrorists- Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran were killed in yesterday's operation. The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies.' Operation Mahadev On Monday, the three terrorists were killed in Operation Mahadev in an intense firefight with security forces in the Harwan area near Dachigam National Park of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The anti-terror Operation Mahadev took place in the general area of Lidwas, the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army said.