National Guard of Pakistan


The National Guard of Pakistan is a paramilitary force and one of four reserve components of the Pakistan Army, designed to act as a "second line of defence", together with the Pakistan Army Reserve, the Frontier Corps and the Pakistan Rangers.

History

The National Guard was established on 1 January 1948 as a reserve component of the Pakistan Army, first advertised as the volunteer corps later expanded as a Women's Guard. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan appointed Brigadier Syed Shahid Hamid as its first chief, and later delegated the command to Major-General Akbar Khan.

Organization

The command and control of the National Guard is under the Chief of Army Staff who serves as the Principal Officer Commanding from Army GHQ in Rawalpindi.
The National Guard is composed of 79 battalions, including six artillery and five training battalions. It is composed of the following combat organizations:
The two current components, the Mujahid Force and the Janbaz Force, are recruited, trained and serve locally, and are mainly charged with air defence and dealing with national calamities.
One of the latter two programs, the National Cadet Corps, was similar to the United States ROTC. The National Cadet Corps was disbanded in 2006.
The second was the Women's Guard which included individuals trained in nursing, welfare, and clerical work. There were also some women in the Janbaz Force, and a very small number of women were recruited into regular service to perform medical and educational work.