The Shawal Rifles is a paramilitary regiment, forming part of the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps ( ur, , reporting name: FC), are a group of paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's borders with Afghanist ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North). The Rifles are tasked with defending the border with

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and assisting with law enforcement in the districts adjacent to the border. The regiment had a 2020/21 budget of .

History

The regiment was raised in 1972 as the North West Waziristan Scouts but this was changed to the shorter current title. The name alludes to the Shawal Valley in

North Waziristan North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanis ...

. In August 1973 the regiment was posted to the abandoned Razmak Camp, and work was carried out to restore the military base. In the early 21st century, the Rifles have been involved in anti-drugs operations. In 2011-2012, the unit received a number of drug testing kits to assist in their work against drug smuggling. In October 2017 a vehicle of the regiment was attacked in Razmak, resulting in the deaths of three personnel and injuries to a further seven.

Units

* Headquarters Wing * 195 Wing * 196 Wing

References

{{Frontier Corps Military units and formations of British India Regiments of the Frontier Corps Swat District