Pakistan to create new border force to control border with Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government says it is creating a new force called the Federal Gendarmerie to provide better security on the border with Afghanistan.
According to a Reuters report published on Tuesday, July 15, Pakistani officials said the force will replace the former Border Police and aim to provide internal security, combat extremist groups and effectively manage the restive border with Afghanistan.
Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, said the new force will have a specific recruitment and training system, like other security agencies.
He said the creation of the force was necessary to counter threats from Afghanistan. However, it was not yet clear how many of the former border police would be absorbed into the new structure.
The Reuters report said that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari had also approved legal amendments to establish the force.
The decision to create the Federal Gendarmerie comes as the Pakistani military has repeatedly reported the activities of armed anti-government groups near the Afghan border and deadly attacks in those areas.
