The Kharan 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 List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

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 ...

Balochistan (South). It is responsible for

border security Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

, and maintaining law and order in southwest

. It guards the border area at the junction of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, a major transit area for trade and traffic. Administratively the regiment comes under the

Interior Ministry An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

, while it is commanded by seconded officers of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the 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 British India, which occurred as a result ...

History

In 1978, the Balochistan Constabulary, a paramilitary unit based in the

Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan provin ...

and

Kharan District Kharan district ( bal, هاران/خاران; ur, ) is a district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Demographics At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 162,766, of which 84,631 were males and 78,135 females. Rura ...

s in Balochistan Province, was deactivated, raised anew as a unit of the

and joined by the 84th Wing of the

Chagai Militia The Chagai Militia ( ur, ) is a paramilitary unit of Pakistan's Frontier Corps, originating in the area of Chagai District in Baluchistan (Pakistan). The regiment was initially known at the Chagai Levies and was raised by British Indian Army and ...

. The new name of the unit was the Kharan Rifles and their base was moved from the large city of

to the remote settlement of

Nok Kundi Nok Kundi ("the blunt point"), is a township and region in western Pakistan in the province of Balochistan. This region of western Pakistan, was historically known to these people as Dzaranga ("water producing land"). It was recorded by the Gree ...

. The Rifles were subdivided into three battalions: the 75th Wing, the 76th Wing, and the 84th Wing. By 1985 the Rifles had a strength of 2,200 personnel, but it remained a lightly-armed unit. In 1988, personnel of the Rifles discovered and neutralised several explosive devices on the main highway linking the Iranian city of

Zahedan Zahedan ( Balochi and fa, , ' ) is a city and capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 587,730. The city was the site of a deadly crackdown in October 2022, with dozens citizens killed by pro- ...

and Pakistani city of

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...

. In September 1999, one person died and three were injured in a confrontation with armed personnel based in

Taftan, Balochistan Taftan ( ur, ) ( bal, ) is a trunk road and railway town in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of Pakistan's border crossings with Iran. It is by either road or rail over from Quetta. It is northeast of the thermally active d ...

. In the early 21st century, the Rifles apprehended significant amounts of smuggled weapons and ammunition near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chagai District including on 11 July 2002, and 16 March 2006. The Rifles have also been in anti-drugs operations. In June 2002, the unit intercepted smugglers and seized two tonnes of

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...

, with an estimated street value of $13 million. In 2011-2012, the unit received a number of drug testing kits to assist in their work against drug smuggling.

Units

* Headquarters Wing * 60 Wing * 75 Wing * 76 Wing * 84 Wing * 145 Wing

References

{{Frontier Corps Regiments of the Frontier Corps Kharan District 1978 establishments in Pakistan Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)