Pakistan Levies

The Pakistan Levies (Urdu: پاکستان ), also called the Federal Levies,[1] are paramilitary law enforcement organizations (gendarmerie) in Pakistan that have a primary mission of providing law enforcement, providing assistance to the police (where co-located) in maintaining law and order, and conducting internal security operations below the federal level. Pakistan Levies is an umbrella term for the various Levies Forces which operate under their own separate chains of command and wear distinct patches and badging.

About

The Levies are locally recruited but federally funded and are covered in the Federal Levies Force (Service) Rules of 2012,[2] and the Federal Levies Force (Amended) Service Rules, 2013.[3]

Organization

The Command authority of Each Levies Force is as follows[3]

The Commandant or Commandant of the Force, is the Political Agent of the Agency or the District Coordination Officer for the local Frontier Region; the Commandant is assisted by two Deputy-Commandants:

  • "Deputy Commandant (Operations)" means an Assistant Political Agent of a Sub-Division or an Agency or FR or any officer of the District designated as such officer by the Provincial Government, who shall be Deputy Commandant (Operations) of the Force in their respective jurisdiction to exercise such powers and functions as may be prescribed; and
  • "Deputy Commandant (Administration)" means an officer of Federal or Provincial civil service or any officer of the District designated as such officer by the Provincial Government in their respective jurisdiction to exercise such powers and functions as may be prescribed and who shall be responsible to the Commandant for administrative and establishment matters of the Force.

The Director-General is an officer appointed by the Federal Government, to exercise such powers and functions as may be prescribed;

Director is appointed as such by the FATA Secretariat who shall have practical experience of civil administration in tribal areas and who shall exercise such powers and functions as may be prescribed.

Forces

Balochistan

The Balochistan Levies operate in the Pakistani province of Balochistan where it serves as one of two primary law enforcement agencies tasked with maintaining law and order in the province.[4] The levies force has jurisdiction in most districts of Balochistan.[5] The force has approximately 23,132 personnel in 2018[6] and traces its origins back to the days of the British Raj, and has continued to function for over a century.[7][8] It is headed by a director-general and is mostly constituted by local security personnel, including Baloch and Pashtun officers.[9] During the regime of Pervez Musharraf, the Balochistan Levies had been disbanded and merged into the provincial police force. It was restored in 2010.[7][10]

Areas which are manned by and are under the control of the Levies are called "B-Areas" which constitute around 90% of the total area of Balochistan while those under the control of the Balochistan Police are dubbed "A-Areas" i.e around 10% .[11][7][12][13] The levies have been praised for their efficiency and reliability compared to the police force; this is attributed to the fact that it predominantly consists of local officers who are familiar with and well accustomed to the political and law and order landscape of Balochistan, thus fulfilling the concept of community policing, whereas the police force predominantly consists of non-locals.[7][9] It is also in charge of more areas as compared to the police, and yet has a lower budget, rendering it the "cheapest available law enforcement agency". However, many critics have contended that the force has been used by Baloch tribal chiefs to serve their own interests.[9][11] The force has often been targeted by militants involved in the insurgency in Balochistan.[14][15]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Levies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa operate between the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA),[16] and settled areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa known as the Frontier Regions (FR). Different from the khasadars, often referred to as tribal police who are appointed by tribal authorities, the Levies are appointed by the political administration on merit basis and are given arms and ammunition by the government.[17] The 2018 sanctioned strength of KP levies was 11,739 personnel.[18] The various Levies in KP report to Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs of KP.[19] The Levies in Khyber Paktunkwa are covered under the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas Levies Force Regulation, 2012[16]

Note that the Levies and Khasadar will now fall under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.[20]

Recruitment

The Levies is a standing force consisting of locally recruited personnel [21] who must undertake a six month basic training course which covers "basic laws, investigation techniques, crowd control, basic intelligence, arrest and detention procedure, jail duties, drill, weapons training, field craft, bomb disposal, counter assault, traffic control, raids, watch & ward etc."[3]

Uniforms

The Federal Levies Force (Amended) Service Rules, 2013 require that the Levies "wear black shalwar qamees with brown chappli, white socks, black barretee cap and black belt whereas the JCOs will wear brown belt during duty hours."[3]

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References
  1. "Policing powers extended to Levies force in FATA". Pak Observer. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. admin (16 June 2016). "FEDERAL LEVIES FORCE (SERVICE) RULES, 2012 - Pakistan Lawyers".
  3. admin (27 June 2016). "FEDERAL LEVIES FORCE (AMENDED) SERVICE RULES, 2013 - Pakistan Lawyers".
  4. Mansoor Akbar, Kundi (1993). Balochistan, a socio-cultural and political analysis. Qasim Printers. p. 26.
  5. Shahid, Saleem (15 April 2012). "Levies force restored in Balochistan". Dawn. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  6. Shahid, Saleem (12 September 2018). "Plan to re-organise Levies Force approved". DAWN.COM.
  7. Shahid, Saleem. "Balochistan assembly takes up Levies restoration bill today". Dawn. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  8. Baloch, Abdul Qadir (15 June 2012). "The case of Levies Force in Balochistan". The Baloch Hal. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  9. Akbar, Malik Siraj (2011). The Redefined Dimensions of Baloch Nationalist Movement. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1456895310.
  10. "Levies force restored in Balochistan". The Express Tribune. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  11. "Balochistan police may assume Levies functions". Dawn. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  12. "Levies Directorate". Government of Balochistan. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  13. Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division of the Government of Pakistan (1998). "1998 district census report". 38. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "2 Balochistan Levies officials shot dead". Daily Times (Pakistan). 3 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  15. "Quetta violence". Dawn. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  16. kp.gov.pk/uploads/2016/02/49._Provincially_Administered_Tribal_Areas_Levies_Force_Regulation,_2012_.pdf
  17. "What is the Levies Force?". The Express Tribune. 31 December 2012.
  18. "FATA to integrate secretariat into K-P". The Express Tribune. 25 June 2018.
  19. Report, Bureau (18 January 2019). "Women to join Levies force in Bajaur soon". DAWN.COM.
  20. "Policing responsibility in the merged districts given to Levies and Khasadar forces". Samaa TV.
  21. who must be a citizen of Pakistan and bona-fide resident of their respective district, agency or Frontier Region https://pakistanlawyer.com/2016/06/27/federal-levies-force-amended-service-rules-2013/

See also

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