The 34th Light Infantry Division, also known as Special Security Division (SSD), is a 2-star
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
formation, raised in September 2016 as a response to major concerns over how to protect the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its workforce from serious internal and external threats.
SSD has also bore the brunt of attacks by
Baloch and
Sindhi separatists.
Organization
34th Light Infantry Division (SSD) consists of 15,000 personnel organised into nine army infantry battalions and six
paramilitary wings (from the
Pakistan Rangers
The Pakistan Rangers ( ur, ) are a paramilitary federal law enforcement organization in Pakistan, operating under the authority of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend sites of significance in the ...
and the
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps ( ur, , reporting name: FC), are a group of paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's ...
), the latter funded by the Interior Ministry.
The SSD is the land-based counterpart to CPEC's maritime security command, Task-Force 88, raised in December 2016, and led by the
Pakistan Navy
ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
, including personnel from the
Pakistan Marines
The Pakistan Marines (Urdu: ) or simply as Pak Marines, is an Expeditionary warfare, expeditionary and amphibious warfare Pakistan Military, uniform service branch within the Pakistan Navy, consisting of the naval officers and other personnel to p ...
and the
Maritime Security Agency.
Commanders
In 2016, SSD was formed and stationed at
Chilas
Chilas ( ur, ) is a city and is the divisional capital of Diamer District located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on the Indus River. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway and N-90 National Highway, which link it to Islam ...
. Later it was renamed as 34th Light Infantry Division. And finally it is renamed into Special Security Division (SSD).
First GOC was appointed in September 2016.
* Maj Gen Abid Rafique (September 2016 - April 2017)
* Maj Gen Ahsan Gulrez (April 2017 - October 2018)
* Maj Gen Ghulam Jafar (October 2018 - February 2020)
* Maj Gen Kamran Nazir Malik (December 2020 - December 2022)
* Maj Gen Muhammad Abbas (December 2022- to date)
See also
*
X Corps (Pakistan)
The X Corps is a corps of the Pakistan Army, currently assigned in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is one of two corps that are currently active in Kashmir. One of its most important brigades, the 111th Infantry Brigade in Rawalpindi, ...
*
XI Corps (Pakistan)
The XI Corps or Peshawar Corps is a corps of Pakistan Army. The XI Corps is the only one corps that is assigned in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. It is currently stationed in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtaunkhuwa. The Corps was estab ...
*
China–Pakistan relations
China–Pakistan relations ( zh, 中国-巴基斯坦关系; ur, ) refer to the bilateral ties between the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Formal relations were established in 1950, when the Dominion of Pakistan ...
References
External links
Developments in CPEC Project and evolving issues and threatsPakistan: What Stands in CPEC’s Way?
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Divisions of the Pakistan Army
Military special forces of Pakistan
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor