Pakistan to create new paramilitary force ahead of more protests by Imran Khan's party
The move turns an existing paramilitary force deployed on Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan into a national security force that will be called the Federal Constabulary, State Minister for the Interior Talal Chaudhry told a press conference in the eastern city of Faisalabad.
Its new duties will include internal security, riot control and counter-terrorism, according to a copy of the amended law reported by the local Dunya News TV.
The announcement came after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former jailed Prime Minister Imran Khan said it would stage nationwide protests starting on August 5, the second anniversary of his arrest.
Several such protests since his August 2023 arrest have turned violent, in some cases paralysing 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 replaces the Frontier Constabulary (FC), whose cadres were previously recruited only from tribes in the northwestern province, Chaudhry said. Training of the new force will bring it into line with other national law enforcement agencies, he added.
Khan's party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said the changes should be subject to parliamentary discussion.
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Russian Navy Day parade cancelled for ‘security reasons'
Russia's annual Navy Day parade has been cancelled for 'security reasons'. The large-scale, televised parade, due to take place on Sunday, usually features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River and is attended by Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Russia has not released the specifics of the threat or concern, but Ukrainian drones targeted St Petersburg on Sunday, where the parade was due to take place, forcing the airport to close for five hours. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said: '[The cancellation] has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance.' It is the first time the parade has been cancelled since its inception in 2017, according to state media. In 2024, Russia suspected Ukraine would target the parade, which prompted organisers to reduce the scale of the procession. Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. 'Today, we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet,' Putin said in a video address. The parade was meant to be the highlight of Russia's Navy Day, which falls on the last Sunday of July each year and honours the country's sailors. The Russian Defence Ministry announced on Sunday that air defence units downed 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. A woman was injured by falling debris, on Sunday, when 10 drones were downed in the Leningrad region surrounding St Petersburg, Alexander Drozdenko, its governor, said. Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports. It resumed operations later on Sunday.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Iraqi police clash with paramilitary fighters who stormed government building
BAGHDAD, July 27 (Reuters) - A gun battle erupted in Iraq's capital on Sunday between police and fighters from a state-sanctioned paramilitary force that includes Iran-backed groups, killing at least one police officer and leading to the arrest of 14 fighters, authorities said. The clash broke out in Baghdad's Karkh district after a group of fighters from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) stormed an Agriculture Ministry building as a new director was being sworn in, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The PMF, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella group of mostly Shi'ite paramilitary factions that was formally integrated into Iraq's state security forces and includes several groups aligned with Iran. According to the Interior Ministry, the PMF fighters burst into the building during an administrative meeting, causing panic among staff who alerted police. Security sources and three employees at the scene said the fighters had wanted to stop the office's former director from being replaced. A statement from the Joint Operations Command, which reports directly to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, confirmed that the detainees were PMF members and had been referred to the judiciary. At least one police officer was killed and nine others were wounded, police and hospital sources said. Sudani ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the incident, the command said. The arrested fighters belong to "PMF brigades 45 and 46", the statement added. Both brigades are affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, according to Iraqi security officials and sources within the PMF.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
First look at Donald Trump's armoured golf buggy on Turnberry course with Secret Service snipers watching on
DONALD Trump took to his five-star golf course just over a year after he survived an assassination attempt - and was followed by an armour-plated buggy. The US president, 79, was trailed by the reinforced all-black cart which can reach speeds of up to 65mph as he played a round at Turnberry in Ayrshire. 5 5 He was watched by Secret Service agents and snipers 12 months after he was shot in the ear at a rally. The fortified £20,000 Polaris has been fitted with hardened tinted windows and side panels. A source told The Scottish Sun: 'Trump was zipping between holes on a regular cart with this huge thing following behind. 'His bodyguards were staying close and were ready to zoom off if he had to dive in. 'The cart is an amazing bit of kit. 'It has massive chunky tyres, what looked like a winch on the front and even has space at the back for his clubs. 'Americans love their motors and Trump seems no different — this thing was bigger than some of the compact cars you see on the road here.' The visiting leader took to the historic course yesterday after jetting in the evening before. He is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, First Minister John Swinney and tour his Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire. He was back out for another round this morning against middle son Eric, 41, as eldest lad Don Jr, 47, and his wife Vanessa, 47, watched on. First look at Donald Trump's armoured motorcade 'the Beast' as President whisked off to Turnberry Trump blew kisses to a handful of supporters who yelled 'we love you' as he teed off for the second time during his five-day trip to Scotland. He wore a white USA baseball cap and black jacket and drove between holes in a white buggy — while followed by the armoured cart and 26 others. The president is expected to meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen today, with discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Swinney due to take place before he flies home on Tuesday. A US government spokesman said: 'The US Secret Service employs a variety of tools and resources to safeguard our protectees. 'In order to maintain operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss the specific means and methods used to conduct our protective operations.' 5 5 Protection teams are on high alert after Trump was left wounded when a would-be assassins bullet nicked his ear as he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July last year. Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired off eight shots from an assault rifle before he was taken out. The American commander and chief escaped a second attempt on his life just two months later when an armed man was discovered hiding in bushes at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was arrested and is expected to go on trial later this year accused of trying to murder the then presidential election candidate.
