The Khasadar (Arabic أَمين for Keeper/Guardian) were
paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
forces operating throughout the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), now a part of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
province in Pakistan. The Khasadar were a locally recruited and maintained tribal security forces, paid for through a
stipend
A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...
provided directly to their tribes by the Pakistani government.
40,000 Khasadar served seven former tribal agencies and six frontier regions.
Members of the force were recruited as volunteers or through family connections.
Khasadar officers are called
subedar
Subedar is a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army; a senior non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, and formerly a Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army.
History
''Subedar'' or ''subadar'' was the ...
s. Khasadars receive 17,400
Rs.
Origin of the Khasadars
Khasadadars were first raised in
Waziristan
Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...
and other
North West Frontier districts of British India prior to World War I. Their prime functions during this period included the provision of picquets and escorts to protect camel convoys and other travellers when regular soldiers of the Indian Army were not available. They wore the normal clothing of the tribal groups from which they were recruited, distinguished by arm bands bearing the letter K.
Post FATA-KP merger
Pakistan's
Express Tribune
''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Intern ...
claims that as of 25 June 2018 there were only 17,965 Khasadars in the tribal districts and sub-divisions, and that the current plan is to reduce the force to 15,000, through the immediate retirement of those eligible. It also stated that 2,500 Khasadars could be offered a severance package while about 9,000 will be retrained and merged into the
Levies Force. The remaining 3,500 long-serving Khasadars may be allowed to complete their service until retirement.
April 08, 2019, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chief Minister,
Mahmood Khan
Mahmood Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 30 October 1972) is a Pakistani politician and a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is currently serving as the 27th Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in office since 17 August 2018. He has been ...
, stated that the 28,000 personnel of the Levies and the Khasadar were merged into the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police. Adviser to Chief Minister on Tribal Districts,
Ajmal Khan Wazir
Ajmal Khan Wazir (اجمل خان وزیر) is a Pakistani politician and former advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on information and Public Relations. He joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on 18 July 2018. He was part of Pakistan ...
, stated that Khasadars will receive the same designations, entitlements and postings as members of the regular police force. The Official Notice implied a period of six months for the assimilation process.
See also
*
Law enforcement in Pakistan
*
Armed forces of Pakistan
The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...
*
Pakistan Levies
The Pakistan Levies (Urdu: ), or Federal Levies, are provincial paramilitary forces (gendarmeries) in Pakistan, whose primary missions are law enforcement, assisting the civilian police (where co-located) in maintaining law and order, and condu ...
References
Former paramilitary forces of Pakistan
Law enforcement agencies of Pakistan
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
1892 establishments in British India
2019 disestablishments in Pakistan
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