The Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) was created in 1851 to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular

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of the three Presidencies of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

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, but was under the control of the British chief magistrate of Punjab, known as the President of the Board of Administration from 1849, then as the Chief Commissioner from 1853. Its soldiers were not subject to parade ground drill and showed unconcern towards routine orders given to regiments of the line. They practiced swift tactical movements in small groups, showing special elan and flair. It comprised the various regiments raised earlier for the same purpose on the orders of General

Charles James Napier General Sir Charles James Napier, (; 10 August 178229 August 1853) was an officer and veteran of the British Army's Peninsular and 1812 campaigns, and later a Major General of the Bombay Army, during which period he led the military conquest of ...

and Col. Sir

Henry Montgomery Lawrence Brigadier-General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence KCB (28 June 18064 July 1857) was a British military officer, surveyor, administrator and statesman in British India. He is best known for leading a group of administrators in the Punjab affectiona ...

between 1843 and 1849 of the former Frontier Brigade established in 1846 and Transfrontier Brigade established in 1849. In 1865, the PIF was redesignated Punjab Frontier Force and in 1903 became the Frontier Force. In 1922 it was split into 2 separate units: the 12th Frontier Force Regiment and the 13th Frontier Force Rifles. In 1947, both were ceded to the new state of Pakistan, which in 1957 amalgamated them, together with a 3rd unit, the

Pathan Regiment The Pathan Regiment was an infantry regiment of Pakistan Army now merged into Frontier Force Regiment. It was raised after the independence of Pakistan on November 1, 1948 from the strength of 12th Frontier Force Regiment and 13th Frontier Force R ...

which Pakistan had earlier created from elements of both, to form the

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF ( Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as th ...

. Within the latter regiment, the first 15 of its 52 battalions can trace their origins back to original British Army regiments, and the regiment still maintains the lineage of its predecessor British regiments. Members of the PIF traditionally referred to themselves with pride as "Piffers", a tradition very much maintained within the Pakistan Army.

Frontier Brigade

This was established in 1846 by Sir Henry Lawrence, on the British victory in the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of ...

. It comprised 4 regiments largely composed of native Sikh troops, although other native groupings were also included, each religious or tribal grouping forming a separate company. These were therefore designated 1st - 4th Sikh Infantry Regiments. In 1847 they were redesignated 1st - 4th Sikh Local Infantry Regiments. To the Frontier Brigade was later added the Corps of Guides which had been raised in 1846 at Peshawar by Lt

Harry Burnett Lumsden Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Burnett "Joe" Lumsden (12 November 1821 – 12 August 1896) was a British military officer active in India. Biography Background Lumsden was born aboard the East India Company's ship ''Rose'' in the Bay of Bengal. ...

, by order of Sir Henry Lawrence, and which was largely inspirational for the creation of the 2 Brigades. The Guides were long considered the ultimate "crack" unit of the PIF, and Lumsden had pioneered the use of

Khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...

in their uniform. In 1903, the regiments were renumbered 51st - 54th Sikh Regiments (Frontier Force). In 1922, the units within the former Frontier Brigade became the main constituents of the 12th Frontier Force Regiment

Regiments of the Frontier Brigade

*1st Sikh Infantry Regiment *2nd Sikh Infantry Regiment ("Hill Corps") *3rd Sikh Infantry Regiment *4th Sikh Infantry Regiment

Transfrontier Brigade

This was established in 1849 following the British victory in the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...

and the British annexation of Punjab on 2 April 1849, also by Sir Henry Lawrence, having achieved success with his earlier Brigade. It comprised originally 5 regiments of native infantry, designated 1st - 5th Punjab Infantry Regiments and 5 of native cavalry. To the Transfrontier Brigade in 1853 was added a 6th infantry regiment, that of the Scind Camel Corps raised in 1843 at Karachi by Lt. Robert FitzGerald by order of General

following the latter's conquest of Scind. It was redesignated as the 6th Regiment, and thus effectively became the most senior, by age, of all the units within the PIF. In 1922 the units of the former Transfrontier Brigade became the main constituents of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles.

Regiments of the Transfrontier Brigade

(Infantry) * 1st Punjab Infantry Regiment * 2nd Punjab Infantry Regiment *3rd Punjab Infantry Regiment (disbanded in 1882) * 4th Punjab Infantry Regiment * 5th Punjab Infantry Regiment * 6th Punjab Infantry Regiment

Footnotes

Sources